One by one, friends’ cars and rideshares pulled up on York Road in Towson and out popped several people in a cartoonish, clown car fashion.

Girls wore denim and fitted cropped and tank tops or bodycon dresses and miniskirts with shoulder bags. Guys wore hoodies, fitted caps, jerseys and jorts or T-shirts and jeans.

They’re headed to Thirsty Thursday, when young people in Baltimore and Baltimore County crowd onto York Road and into the bars for good music and good drinking deals.

“It’s really the only option when you’re around here,” said Talia Lebowitz, who has been coming to the strip to party on Thursdays for about a year.

However, recent videos shared on social media show a crowded strip that triggered concerns from residents.

Classes started at nearby Towson University on Aug. 25 and for Morgan State University on Aug. 27. By Aug. 28, crowds of people flooded York Road for the first Thirsty Thursday of the school year.

“I took off from my actual job to bounce, and there were cops in gas masks,” Christian Delauney, Lebowitz’s friend, said. “I was like, ‘holy shit.’”

The crowds that night prompted a large police response and sparked outrage from residents, with many saying they were a risk to public safety and a deterrent to people traveling into Towson for dining and shopping. It was a crowd unlike anything Nancy Hafford, the executive director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce, had seen in a while.

“It’s just like Ocean City during the summertime. All of a sudden, at the beginning of the school year, there’s this big influx of people,” Hafford said. “So we just have to reset.”

The many complaints catapulted local officials, community leaders and business owners into action. Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier, Council Chair Michael P. Ertel and representatives from the police and fire departments, Towson Community Alliance, Towson Chamber of Commerce, the liquor board and business owners met Sept. 3 to address the issue.

Trae Corbin, a spokesperson for the Baltimore County Police Department, said there’ll be an increased police presence in the area. Corbin said eight people were arrested Aug. 28, the night most of the videos shared on social media were filmed, and two people were arrested Sept. 4. They face disorderly conduct, assault and firearms-related charges, Corbin said.

“These ongoing efforts appear to have contributed to a decrease in crowds week over week and resulted in no arrests last night,” Erica Palmisano, a spokesperson for Baltimore County government, said in a statement Friday. “We will continue to engage with business owners and stakeholders and look forward to everyone responsibly enjoying all that Towson has to offer.”

Some residents remain worried, though. Adele Brockmeyer who co-owns and operates Turnbull Brockmeyer Law Group in Towson, is concerned about shortened police coverage in other areas.

“Thirsty Thursday is really a game of roulette with our police and neighborhoods. Every Thursday without tragedy is just luck, another week of dodging a bullet,” Brockmeyer said in an email. “Right now Thursday nights here are a powder keg waiting for a spark.”

Daniel Olowe, a student at Towson University, went out for Thirsty Thursday once last year. It was his first and last time.

“It was really overstimulating because of how many people were actually there,” Olowe, 20, said.

He estimates 200-300 people go out each week for Thirsty Thursday and, if there were fewer, it might be more enjoyable.

“It could definitely be a little more limited,” he said. “They gotta relax with bringing everybody and their friends plus their friends.”

Three weeks into the school year, around 100 or so youngsters could still be seen walking York Road on Thursday, discreetly vaping, smoking and drinking Cutwaters, beer and buzzballs.

Just less than 10 Baltimore County Police officers patrolled the area, the flashing lights of cruisers parked at the intersection of York Road and Chesapeake Avenue a nuisance to passing partygoers. Officers issued citations for jaywalking and confiscated alcohol.

Several people told The Banner they weren’t necessarily deterred by police presence. They understand they’re there to keep them safe.

They even understand residents’ complaints of large crowds but say the scene on Aug. 28 isn’t consistent. People like Lebowitz and Delauney think it’s safe, fun and accessible to hang out in Towson — even if it gets crowded every now and then.

“High risk, high reward,” Delauney said of partying in Towson, and the reward is a good time with friends.