Police received dozens of reports of thefts and robberies at Amsterdam Dance Event parties since the festival began, many involving necklaces pulled from visitors’ necks. Some incidents occurred amid the use of pepper spray or tear gas, police said. At the Awakenings event Adriatique All Night Long at the SugarFactory, Canadian visitor Nabil Farah said a man tore two gold chains from his neck and sprayed him in the face with what appeared to be pepper spray or tear gas when he tried to intervene. A woman at the event said people nearby coughed and tried to get away. Farah reported the incident to police.

Other reported victims included a 26-year-old Amsterdam resident whose gold necklace was stolen and a Rotterdam man whose necklace was damaged during an attempted theft at the Black Coffee event in the Ziggo Dome. Tear gas was also used at an ADE party at the Gashouder, where no arrests were made despite searches of visitors as they left. Police are investigating the reports and said reviewing camera footage may form part of the inquiry; the exact number of reports may still change.