Police in three Jersey Shore communities issued thousands of warning to teens, responded to hundreds of calls and took several dozen minors into custody over a chaotic Memorial Day weekend, police reports and public records show.
Thousands of teens and young adults crowded into Seaside Heights, Ocean City and Wildwood, where that city’s boardwalk was temporarily closed during a period of “civil unrest.”
Gov. Phil Murphy would dismiss the characterization that the three Shore communities experienced a chaotic weekend while state Attorney General General Matthew J. Platkin and the mayor of Wildwood were at odds over if the level of police staffing contributed to the problems Wildwood faced.
Police in both Wildwood and Seaside Heights responded to more than 1,800 calls for service during Memorial Day weekend, according to statements provided by police and records obtained by NJ Advance Media.
Wildwood police issued “thousands” of curbside warnings to minors. In Ocean City, police issued over 1,300 curbside warnings to juveniles while bringing 23 teens to police headquarters, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Most were for shoplifting and fighting, it was reported. A records request by NJ Advance Media to Ocean City was not immediately returned.
Police in Seaside Heights responded to 10 juvenile complaints, according to records obtained by NJ Advance Media. Police issued three curbside warnings to juveniles over the Memorial Day weekend, records show.
Seaside Heights police responded to three shots fired calls, records show. The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office previously said it could not verify the reports of shots being fired.
Wildwood police said firecrackers were hurled at officers and fights sent people running off the boardwalk and into the streets. A 15-year-old was stabbed during one of the fights that merged into a brawl on the Ocean City boardwalk.
All three Shore communities enforced curfew rules to regain control over the boardwalks.
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Eric Conklin may be reached at econklin@njadvancemedia.com.
