SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — A 15-year-old boy was stabbed after a large fight broke out on the Ocean City, New Jersey boardwalk Saturday night.
Police responded to reports of a fight on the boardwalk around 9 p.m. There, the boy, from Mays Landing, was stabbed by an unknown suspect.
The teen was treated for his injury and is in stable condition.
Following the violence, Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian issued a blunt message to parents and teens: “If you don’t want to behave, don’t come.” He said in recent years, Ocean City and other shore towns have experienced issues related to fights, shoplifting and other incidents of disorderly conduct among juveniles.
“I understand the impact that this behavior has on all of our residents, guests and business owners, and I want to assure everybody that Ocean City will not tolerate it,” Gillian wrote.
He also said police made several arrests Saturday night, though he did not specify how many or for what offenses.
Last Memorial Day weekend, police responded to about 1,000 incidents in Ocean City, which led to tighter restrictions over the summer months.
Meanwhile, police in Wildwood, New Jersey briefly declared a state of emergency late Sunday evening and shut down the boardwalk to “maintain law and order,” citing civil unrest. The emergency was lifted early Monday morning.
Wildwood police said officers were “able to effectively address numerous incidents of civil unrest.” Police did not cite a specific incident for the temporary shutdown.