OCEAN CITY, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Ocean City officials are adding more police patrols to the boardwalk after a chaotic Memorial Day weekend. Police said they issued about 1,300 warnings, and 23 teenagers were taken into custody for fights, shoplifting and other issues.
The Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend, a 15-year-old was stabbed on the boardwalk. Ocean City Police Chief Bill Campbell said they believe the fight was planned.
“These were a group of juveniles that were all familiar with one another,” he said. “This was a targeted engagement between these juveniles. There were no other individuals that were targeted.”
He said the teens involved were from Atlantic County, specifically Mays Landing, Atlantic City and Pleasantville.
The 15-year-old was treated for his injury. At this point, no arrest has been made.
In addition to stabbing, police issued 1,300 warnings related to alcohol, marijuana, curfews and other violations. In lieu of arrests, some of the juveniles taken to the police station were ordered to do community service.
“We don’t want to give any of these kids a record,” said Cape May County Commissioner Director Lenny Desiderio. “We want them to grow up to be law-abiding citizens. We want them to go to college if they choose. We want them to get good jobs and we want them to be productive citizens. But they can’t come to our county and disrupt things.”
Ocean City already has an 8 p.m. beach curfew, an 11 p.m. juvenile curfew, and a backpack ban on the boardwalk, all of which were implemented last summer. At a press conference on Thursday, officials did not announce any new ordinances.
Due to state law, Cambell said officers are limited. If someone under 18 is caught with alcohol, they get a warning and the drink is confiscated. He believes stricter laws for those under 21 could help. “I think there’s some room for improvement that would help law enforcement deal with kids,” he said, “whether you're a first-time offender or a repetitive offender.”
Campbell said they have sufficient staffing, and additional officers will be assigned to the boardwalk for the rest of the summer.
“If you come here, you need to behave,” he emphasized. “You need to follow the laws, not break the laws, not cause the type of incidents that we witnessed last weekend where you’re causing chaos and confusion for all the visitors and all the people that are up here.”
Mayor Jay Gillian called the incidents “unacceptable” and assured that Ocean City will always remain a welcoming, family-friendly town.