Virginia Couple Busted For Throwing Massive Teen Bash With Fireworks Blazing Overhead

A quiet cul-de-sac fills with hundreds of teenagers

Just after 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, Fairfax County police began fielding multiple 911 calls from the 1400 block of Woodacre Drive in McLean. Callers said a party at the address had "gotten out of control," according to a police news release.

Callers estimated that somewhere between 100 and 300 people had gathered at the home, Fairfax County Police said. When officers arrived, they found a large crowd and fireworks being set off in what residents described as a quiet residential cul-de-sac.

Officers worked to restore order and safely disperse the crowd. The department later released bodycam video of the scene on its social media accounts, according to FOX 5 DC.

Investigators trace the party back to the homeowners

Through their investigation, officers determined that the homeowners, Lisa Vaughan, 45, and Aubrey Vaughan, 55, both of McLean, had organized the gathering for their teenage child, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

Police later confirmed the minor at the center of the case is 13 years old, and that the party was intended as an eighth-grade gathering.

Following the investigation, officers obtained warrants charging both Lisa and Aubrey Vaughan with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and maintaining a common nuisance. The Vaughans turned themselves in at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center and were each released on $1,000 unsecured bonds, police said.

"They were trying to maintain control because suddenly their neighborhood, they live in a cul-de-sac, was just filled with people they didn't want there and they were overwhelmed," — Alaric Piette, attorney for Lisa and Aubrey Vaughan, to FOX 5 DC.

What the parents say happened

The Vaughans maintain their innocence. Their attorney, Alaric Piette, told FOX 5 DC that the couple only intended to let their two middle-school-aged sons invite 10 to 20 classmates over, with an invitation that explicitly banned bags and alcohol.

According to Piette, the sons made the invitation and sent it to friends, but it was shared further and eventually circulated at a local high school, bringing older teenagers the Vaughans did not know to their cul-de-sac. "They managed to keep most of the kids off the property and off the backyard, but it had started to get out of control," Piette said.

Piette said the couple welcomed officers when they arrived and invited them inside to check the party area for alcohol, an offer he said police declined. "They wanted to maintain a safe place, free from alcohol, for kids to have a good time, but they had no control about all the kids that arrived and caused chaos in their neighborhood," Piette told FOX 5 DC.

In a separate interview with FOX 5's Homa Bash, Aubrey Vaughan said he and his wife had their 13-year-old sons walk door-to-door to apologize to neighbors. "We're embarrassed," he said, adding that he does not fault Fairfax County police, who he said were "just doing their job" and whom the family was "very thankful" to see arrive. Vaughan said he had "zero idea" high schoolers would show up after the invitation spread on Snapchat, and that the entire incident lasted about 45 minutes, with things turning chaotic roughly 10 to 15 minutes before police got there.

The charges, explained

Contributing to the delinquency of a minor is a charge aimed at adults whose actions or negligence allow a minor to engage in unlawful or dangerous conduct — in this case, organizing a gathering that drew underage drinking risk, fireworks, and a crowd large enough to require a police response.

Maintaining a common nuisance targets the property itself, alleging it was knowingly used to facilitate illegal activity. Both charges were filed against each parent individually, not against the teenagers who attended.

No charges have been announced against any of the uninvited guests or teenagers who showed up at the property, according to FOX 5 DC. The Vaughans are scheduled to appear in court next month, Piette said.

The police chief's warning to parents

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis addressed the case directly at a news conference, calling large youth gatherings at private homes "universally a bad idea" regardless of a parent's intentions.

"I think it's universally a bad idea to host anything at a home — whether it's single family, or apartment, or town house, or condominium — that involves too many people for a given environment, that involves alcohol and drugs and that involves, on occasion, driving behaviors that are reckless and dangerous," Davis said.

Davis, a father of four, acknowledged what he called the "conundrum" parents face in deciding whether to let kids go out unsupervised or host something at home to keep an eye on them. He said police are not against parents trying to do the right thing, even when a decision "spirals and grows and gets embellished and exaggerated and all of a sudden creates a harmful situation for the community" — but added that "parents have to be parents" and "adults have to be adults."

In the same release announcing the charges, police struck a similar note: "While these events are often intended to be fun and enjoyable, circumstances can change quickly. We encourage parents and homeowners to remain mindful of activities taking place on their property, take steps to prevent underage drinking, and contact police if concerns arise or a situation begins to escalate."

What happens next

The Vaughans are due in court next month, according to their attorney, Alaric Piette. No trial date, plea, or disposition has been reported yet. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis has also floated — but not confirmed — a joint public-safety campaign with Fairfax County Public Schools warning families about large teen gatherings organized through social media.