MACHIAS, Maine — Machias police broke up two loud parties overnight Friday into Saturday, summoned several people and then spent three hours searching the Machias River for lost people in what turned out to be a hoax.

The first party was broken up about 11 p.m. Friday when police received several complaints of noise in the woods off Grove Street, Machias police Officer Richard Strout said.

Police who arrived on the scene discovered a fire, a number of people and stereo equipment, including a rented microphone system, Strout said. The noise was so loud that residents on the opposite side of the river could hear it clearly.

Strout said four people were summoned, including: Brian Taylor, 22, of Machias, for possession of a usable amount of marijuana; Richard Oost, 30, of Machias, furnishing a place for minors to consume alcohol; Adam Cushing, 18, of Pembroke, illegal possession of liquor by a minor; and David Hinojosa, 19, of Dennysville, il-legal possession of liquor by a minor.

Strout said police discovered a second loud party while on routine patrol on Pleasant Street about 1 a.m. When the cruiser arrived, about 20 to 25 people fled the residence.

“They were even bailing out the windows,” Strout said, “and running through backyards.”

Michael Robinson-Tarr, 21, was arrested and charged with furnishing a place for minors to consume alcohol.

Several hours later, Strout said, police received a report that three people who had fled the Pleasant Street party were struggling in the Machias River and were screaming for help.

The Machias Fire Department and ambulance crew responded about 3:30 a.m., and a search was conducted for three hours, Strout said.

“We never found anyone and couldn’t even verify that anyone had even been in the river,” he said.

Strout said all three incidents remain under investigation.