Wildwood police say they have shut down a “pop-up” party planned to be held in the city this weekend.
Police on Wednesday said they were taking “preemptive measures” to prevent the unsanctioned event, saying the event’s organizers agreed to forgo holding the gathering. The event was organized on social media, police said, without identifying the platform used to schedule the gathering.
Police did not elaborate on details, such as if the party was to be held on the city’s beaches or at a rental property. A message left by NJ Advance Media for city officials was not immediately returned on Wednesday.
The announcement comes as Wildwood and other Jersey Shore towns grapple with overpowering crowds of teenagers and unsanctioned - and often unruly - pop-up parties, as the coastline enters its summer tourism season.
Conduct at the shore was an issue in several towns over Memorial Day weekend, when a 15-year-old boy was stabbed during a brawl on the Ocean City Boardwalk. A 16-year-old Mays Landing boy was apprehended and charged with attempted murder over the attack.
With a warm weekend days away, Wildwood police Wednesday warned transient rental and hotel owners to avoid catering to young people suspected of being involved in large, organized gatherings.
“These groups are known to take over rental properties and cause property damage,” police said in a statement.
Wednesday’s announcement was at least the second within a week from a Jersey Shore community. Long Branch officials last week said they prevented a June 8 pop-up party formed online. Three promoters, officials said, were issued cease and desist letters.
Long Branch began seeing an increase in pop-up parties in May 2022, when one drew an estimated 5,000 people to a luxury oceanfront development, yielding multiple fights.
In a recent panel discussion led by Republican lawmakers, Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano elaborated on the city’s efforts to combat the issue, such as adding police officers to the boardwalk to intimidate potentially unruly minors. He added police have also increased their social media use to spot potentially unmanageable events.
“We try to keep an eye on that and then beat them to that scene,” Troiano said. “When we get there, we eliminate some of those events that happen.”
Memorial Day weekend was particularly troublesome for Wildwood police, who responded to hundreds of calls for service, forcing a state of emergency to temporarily be instituted in the town.
As another preventative measure, Wildwood commissioners on Wednesday are slated to move on a measure to ban backpacks “larger than 8 inches in depth” on the city’s beaches and boardwalk from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., according to a public meeting agenda. The rule changes come as officials say the bags are frequently used by minors to carry alcohol and drugs.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.
Eric Conklin may be reached at econklin@njadvancemedia.com.
