Effective Friday, alcohol is banned in the parking lot of the central New Jersey entertainment venue. The ban comes a day after two people died and more than 80 people were arrested Thursday night at an Ozzfest concert.

Police are investigating the deaths of two men, identified as Raymond Guarino, 26, of Forked River and Patrick Norris, 24, of Coram, N.Y.

 

After possibly taking drugs and alcohol, both passed out in separate incidents at the concert, went into cardiac arrest and later died. State Police said the men were believed to have ingested cocaine, marijuana and alcohol prior to their deaths, and troopers who searched Guarino’s vehicle found small amounts of both drugs.

Eighty-three people were arrested during the concert; 59 were charged with underage drinking. Other charges included distribution of drugs, lewd behavior and providing alcohol to a minor.

Authorities said the Ozzfest incidents were the latest in a long string of problems this season that led them to ban alcohol in the center’s parking lot.

“This is a dramatic step to have to take, but one that is necessary given the potential consequences of such risky behavior,” Gov. Jon S. Corzine said Friday.

The first show to be affected will be a concert featuring Velvet Revolver, Alice in Chains and Kill Hannah, scheduled for Friday night. Signs on the Garden State Parkway will notify concertgoers of the alcohol ban.

Joe Orlando, a spokesman for the Turnpike Authority, which owns the arts center, said the ban is effective no matter a person’s age, so even those who can drink legally cannot bring alcohol onto the site; in the past, people over the legal drinking age have been allowed to bring alcohol to the center’s parking lot and tailgate before and during concerts.

Depending on their age, violators face fines, expulsion from the premises and arrest.

Alcohol will still be sold inside the center, which is located near the shore.

Kevin Coyne, of Sewell, N.J., who attended Ozzfest, said Friday that the all-day concert didn’t seem particularly out of control to him, although he left around 5:30 p.m. and didn’t spend much time in the parking lot.

“To me it was just a normal concert. I didn’t see anything that was out of the ordinary,” said Coyne, who said the alcohol ban wouldn’t keep him from going to shows in the future.

Coyne said many concertgoers seem to spend more time in the parking lot drinking than inside the venue watching the acts.

“People get there bright and early and get their party started,” Coyne.

Another concertgoer said the alcohol ban might keep him from going to shows in the future.

“My only chance to get drunk is in the parking lot, and they took that away from us,” said Avi Miller, of Elizabeth, N.J. who said the beer prices inside the concert venue are too high.

“They do go around the parking lot asking people for IDs. I don’t understand why that’s not enough,” said Miller, who was at the Ozzfest show.

Miller had been planning to attend Friday night’s Velvet Revolver show, but instead plans to go to Camden’s Tweeter Center on the Waterfront on Monday, where the band was playing and alcohol is still allowed in the parking lot.

Orlando said state police have arrested more than 200 people at shows at the center in the past 10 days.

“We’ve tried to deal with it by enforcing the law, and people have thumbed their nose at it,” he said. “So we’re taking the only action we can.”

Some of the arrests Thursday also involved unruly behavior in the mosh pit. Concertgoers were charged with assault if they were flailing arms or legs in a way that would hurt others.

Ozzfest is a tour of heavy-metal bands started by rocker Ozzy Osbourne. Over the years it has showcased a number of up-and-coming bands, including Linkin Park and Incubus.

Authorities launched a crackdown on drinking after the season’s first show in May because 13 young patrons had to be taken to hospitals with alcohol-related illnesses. The youngest was 11 years old.

More than 90 patrons were arrested at the O.A.R concert on Saturday and 54 people were arrested at the Incubus show last Friday.