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The start of the summer season at the New Jersey shore was marred by numerous incidents of civil unrest and violence. Wildwood and Ocean City, popular beach towns, experienced significant disturbances over the Memorial Day weekend.
In Wildwood, a state of emergency was declared early Monday morning due to an 'irrepressible' number of calls involving a large number of young adults and juveniles. The police department was overwhelmed to the point where they were unable to respond to certain calls and had to request aid from multiple agencies in Cape May County. The boardwalk was closed for several hours when the situation started to deteriorate again, allowing police to address numerous incidents. It was reopened later Monday morning.
Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. expressed his support for the police's actions to WHYY, stating, 'Wildwood will not tolerate unruly, undisciplined, unparented children nor will we stand by while the laws of the state tie the hands of the police.'
Meanwhile, in Ocean City, a 15-year-old boy was stabbed during a fight on the boardwalk Saturday night. Mayor Jay Gillian stated that multiple arrests were made and order was quickly restored.
In Seaside Heights, crowds scrambled on the boardwalk after false reports of gunshots Saturday night. Investigators believe the disturbance was caused by a group of kids.
These incidents come after several shore towns, including Cape May, Wildwood, Stone Harbor, and Ocean City, adopted curfews and backpack bans last summer in response to violence and unrest, primarily caused by teenagers.