Halloween all quiet

The Halloween holiday came and went without any evil trickery in Newport-Mesa, officials said

Police and fire departments in both cities reported a trouble-free night.

“It’s a hit and miss,” said Costa Mesa Fire Capt. Brian Roberts, who worked Halloween night.

“Sometimes people get out of hand, and sometimes people just mellow out,” Roberts said.

Newport Beach Fire reported no major incidents, despite a noticeable increase in calls, Battalion Chief Paul Matheis said.

Monday’s warm weather kept people out and about late, resulting in more medical-aid and traffic-accident calls, Matheis said.

The Costa Mesa Police Department kept staffing levels normal and didn’t report any significant incidents, said Sgt. Marty Carver. There were no suspicious calls or reports of candy tampering.

Costa Mesa police did break up a large house party, with about 180 to 200 partyers. The crowd complied quietly, Carver said.

The Newport Beach Police Department increased patrols but didn’t see much activity during the night, Newport Police Sgt. Lloyd Whisenant said.

Local police did field some calls requesting officers to keep an eye out for pranks, such as soaping cars and toilet-papering houses. The Port Streets are normally the busiest streets in Newport on Halloween, Whisenant said.

“It’s always been where we have the most trick-or-treaters,” Whisenant said.

This year, the neighborhood was quiet, he said.

-- Lauren Vane