Cars towed, 911 calls pile up during massive NCCU homecoming party in rural field

There’s typically not much going on along Berry Pearce Road, but that wasn’t the case on Wednesday afternoon as hundreds of cars were parked along the rural two-lane road.

People who live in the area knew there was something out of the ordinary happening.

“Timberlake has maybe 4,000 people. There was probably close to that many people here for this event. The town is not set up to handle that amount of traffic or people,” said resident Bill Brown.

The event was held in the Field of Dreams, which is marketed as an event-ready location ready to host small or large gatherings. Thousands of N.C.a Central University students attended. The university tells ABC11 News that it was neither an NCCU-sponsored nor an NCCU-sanctioned event.

The event was held in the Field of Dreams in Person County, which is marketed as an event-ready location ready to host small or large gatherings.

According to the Person County Sheriff’s Office, the initial estimated attendance of approximately 10,000 individuals was based on a joint assessment by the event organizers and the Sheriff’s Office. The organizers believed there were more than 5,000 people inside the event area, with thousands more along the roadways, walking to the site, or parked in surrounding areas. Additional attendees were also transported from the Orange County Speedway, which had been designated as a remote parking location.

Brown spent his morning cleaning up trash left in his front yard.

“What I cleaned up were bottles of vodka and tequila. Clearly, a lot of alcohol was being consumed right on the property,” he said.

Chopper11 flew overhead as hundreds gathered at the event.

“There were literally thousands of cars. I saw one person trying to direct traffic. One of the people at the event was doing it. He didn’t seem to be doing a very good job,” he said.

Vehicles were towed at the request of private property owners after numerous cars were parked without permission in active farm fields. One farmer’s wheat crop sustained damage due to vehicles driving and parking within the planted area. The event organizers have since reached an agreement with the affected farmer to compensate for the damages.

Some drivers even tried to park in Brown’s driveway. “I told them to get out of here. If you leave it here, it’s going to get towed,” he said.

This event didn’t require a permit. Prior to the event, the Sheriff’s Office reached out to the Person County Planning and Zoning Department to determine if any zoning or permitting restrictions applied to the property. Planning and Zoning advised that there was nothing in the county’s zoning ordinance prohibiting the event from being held at that location.

Brown said Duke University students often use the field to throw parties.

“The problem is they come down here and they’re drinking. It’s loud music all day long,” said Brown.

Both the event organizers and the Sheriff’s Office were overwhelmed by the unexpectedly large turnout. The Sheriff’s Office was first notified through 911 calls from homeowners reporting blocked roadways and large numbers of pedestrians. Deputies responded and coordinated with the event organizers.

Organizers acknowledged that a mistake was made when they posted the physical address of the event on social media. Their original plan had been for all attendees to park at the Orange County Speedway and be bused to the event site. However, the majority of attendees drove directly to the location, causing severe congestion, blocked driveways, and trespassing on private property.

The combination of the narrow two-lane rural road, the high posted speed limit, and the sheer number of vehicles created a significant public safety issue that required an immediate law enforcement response.

This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Cars towed, 911 calls pile up during massive NCCU homecoming party in rural field."