Cops: Huntington Station man held huge party at unsafe venue

A man arrested early Saturday for throwing a huge party in an abandoned Huntington Station warehouse recently ran for a seat on the town council.

Richard P. Hall, 47, of Huntington Station, was charged with second-degree criminal nuisance after police were called shortly after midnight to the warehouse at 1026 New York Ave.

Suffolk police said Hall organized and hosted the party, which drew more than 560 people and caused "an extreme overcrowding condition." The building lacked fire alarms, sprinklers and sufficient exits, authorities said.

Hall, who could not be reached for comment, was released on his own recognizance after being arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip. His next court date is Nov. 7.

In the primary election this summer, Hall ran unsuccessfully for a Huntington Town Council seat.

Hall, who works for the town as a laborer, ran on a platform of bringing more amenities and services to Huntington Station, according to his Newsday candidate profile.

In 2009, police cited Hall, who was then volunteering for the Huntington Democratic Committee, for stealing Republican campaign signs.

Hall has pleaded guilty to a variety of criminal charges, including criminal possession of a weapon, sale of a controlled substance, criminal mischief, menacing, assault and resisting arrest, records show. Many of those cases date to the 1980s and '90s.