Jersey Shore police say ‘aggressive' crowds, not lack of police, caused Memorial Day weekend issues

Police in a New Jersey shore town said Saturday that “aggressive” behavior by large crowds of rowdy teens and young adults — not a lack of police officers — was to blame for disorder over the Memorial Day weekend that prompted the closure of the boardwalk.

Attorney General Matthew Platkin alleged Friday that Wildwood didn't have enough officers assigned to the boardwalk, when officials said disturbances on Sunday prompted the overnight boardwalk closure and calls for assistance from neighboring police departments.

Wildwood's police chief, Joseph Murphy, and the department issued a statement the following day calling Platkin's assertion “inaccurate and ill-informed.” They said the department had more than 30 uniformed officers assigned to the boardwalk, more than in the past two years, but disturbances involving hundreds or even thousands of young people began Saturday and continued Sunday despite the addition of even more officers, prompting an emergency declaration.

The statement by Murphy and the department said “the disheartening truth” was that this year's crowds were “disobedient, volatile, and aggressive towards officers,” at one point throwing firecrackers at them as they tried to control the crowd.

“We even observed families fleeing the boardwalk to the beach and running for the security of the railing because hundreds of juveniles and young adults were stampeding down the boardwalk,” Wildwood officials said. “Even if we had additional officers above the 30 deployed, there would have been minimal effect to quell this type of mob behavior.”

Police said they sought additional help from other Cape May law enforcement agencies after Saturday's problems and had more than 40 law enforcement officers assigned to the boardwalk on Sunday night. Police said they cleared the boardwalk of juveniles after the 10 p.m. curfew, issuing several thousand warnings, but “a couple thousand” young adults remained. Officials decided after midnight to declare a local state of emergency and were then able to “quell a majority of the disorder” on the boardwalk and on nearby streets, they said.

Over the holiday weekend, Wildwood police handled 312 emergency calls, responded to 1,517 calls for service, issued thousands of warnings to juveniles and made 47 arrests, with more expected after identifications are made, officials said. One officer was injured but is expected to fully recover.

Some Jersey Shore town police supervisors and other officials have blamed problems on changes the state has made in recent years to try to keep juveniles out of the court system, saying they have emboldened teens and given the impression that police can do little if they are caught with alcohol or marijuana. In January the law was revised to remove some threats of punishment for officers dealing with juveniles suspected of possessing alcohol or marijuana.

Platkin defended the law at a Friday event to check boardwalk games of chance to make sure they comply with state regulations, saying nothing prevents police from arresting teens involved in violent events. He said Wildwood “hired the fewest law enforcement officers this year than they’ve ever hired.”

Wildwood's public safety commissioner said all departments are short-staffed and more officers now in the police academy will be coming on board this month. Wildwood police vowed that public safety would be “the top priority” going into the summer season.

Ocean City, meanwhile, saw Memorial Day weekend disturbances for the second year in a row, including the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy who was said to be recovering from wounds that were not life-threatening. Mayor Jay Gillian said on the city's website that police brought 23 teens into the station for fights, shoplifting and other infractions and issued more than 1,300 warnings for alcohol, cannabis, curfew and other violations.