Lavish New Year’s Eve party at Granite Bay mansion flouts COVID-19 rules amid viral surge
Video and other social media posts from a private New Year’s Eve party at a Granite Bay mansion is making the rounds on Sacramento social media, sparking anger over the flagrant violation of public health orders meant to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Angela Musallam, a spokeswoman for the Placer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the Thursday night party was held at a home in the gated Los Lagos community, a wealthy circle of mansions that overlook Folsom Lake and is home to some of the region’s most affluent residents.
She said deputies were called out to the party on a noise complaint just before midnight, spoke with the owner, and left later after the volume came down. Deputies estimated about 100 attendees at the lavish party.
A video posted to YouTube by an attendee proclaims the mansion — where dozens of people are seen in close contact and without masks — the former home of Hollywood movie star Eddie Murphy, and it appears, based on depictions in the video, to be true.
Murphy’s former Granite Bay mansion, located at 9125 Vista De Lago Court, was sold in autumn 2018 for $5.5 million at auction to an undisclosed buyer.
YouTube user hottesss mostly posts videos about sports cars, and many exotic and expensive-looking cars were seen parked around the sprawling 2.5-acre property. Over the course of his nearly 14-minute long video montage, viewers are given an overview of the property and an inside look at a gathering which flouted the most basic COVID-19 guidelines.
It appeared that nobody in attendance was wearing a mask, although they were wearing crisp suits and sumptuous dresses. In crowded rooms featuring music by a DJ, party-goers danced closely amongst one another and drank together at bars, seemingly without a care for the existing health orders.
A Snapchat video posted publicly shows dozens, perhaps even more than 100 people, together in a main hall.
“Mansion party!” the videographer eagerly exclaims.
Statewide and local health officials have repeatedly stressed the importance of social distancing and have identified in-home gatherings which bring together people from different households as the main culprit behind coronavirus transmission.
The latest regional stay-at-home orders from the California Department of Public Health expressly forbids gatherings of this sort which bring together people into close quarters and open up the possibility for a superspreader event.
This story was originally published January 3, 2021 at 8:00 AM.