Drunk, unruly teens invade Jersey Shore — and the solution leaves police perplexed and divided

Peter Andreyev, president of the New Jersey State Police Benevolent Association, released a statement calling for changes to the laws and procedures governing how police interact with disorderly adolescents and young adults.

His statement follows a weekend in which a wave of disorderly juveniles and young adults overwhelmed police capacity in Wildwood on Sunday evening, leading the city to temporarily close and clear the parkway.

Ocean City suffered its second straight weekend of Memorial Day disturbances, with numerous fights, disturbances and the murder of a 15-year-old boy. He is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.

And a false report of a shooting in Seaside Heights briefly sparked panic on the boardwalk, authorities said.

“Recent outbreaks of youth violence are a sign that more must be done to enable police to protect our communities,” Andreyev said. “Last weekend is further proof that the law is not respected. There must be real consequences for violent, drunken and dangerous behavior, for both minors and adults.

“Failing to have consequences for bad behavior has once again proven to be a failure of criminal justice policy,” he continued. “Thousands of people have been affected by this weekend’s lawlessness; this must be stopped.

Officials in many cities along the Jersey Shore, as well as several police departments, blame juvenile justice reforms passed by the state in recent years. The laws aimed to keep more juveniles out of the justice system and placed several restrictions on police interactions with them.

In January, the law was revised to remove some threats of punishment against police officers dealing with minors suspected of possession of alcohol or marijuana.

Gov. Phil Murphy said the changes put law enforcement in a better position to deal with disorderly teens. In an interview with News 12 New Jersey, the governor said Tuesday that “the shoreline did not have a chaotic weekend.”

“The weekend was an extremely successful weekend, including even in these cities,” Murphy told the TV station. “I was with the mayor of Wildwood a few hours ago, and he said we had a fantastic weekend, we had this overflow, it seemed, from a group of teenagers.”

The state attorney general's office declined to comment.

Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said his city is fed up with rowdy young people bent on causing trouble.

“Our officers made several arrests … and were able to quickly restore order on the Parkway once the teens involved in these incidents were removed,” he wrote in a message posted on the city's website . “We have a team of highly trained officers on the curb and throughout the city, and they will enforce all laws in their entirety.

“Ocean City will always be welcoming to all guests, but I want to send a clear message to parents and teens: If you don’t want to behave properly, don’t come.”

In a post on his own city's website, Wildwood Mayor Ernest Troiano Jr. expressed similar sentiments.

“Wildwood will not tolerate unruly, parentless children and we will not stand idly by while state laws tie the hands of police,” he wrote. “We wholeheartedly support the City of Wildwood Police Department in protecting this community from these nuisance crowds on our parkway and in the city.”

Wildwood officials did not elaborate on the individual incidents that led to the boardwalk's overnight closure for six hours, but said there had been an “overwhelming number” of calls for help to the police department.

The Cape May County prosecutor said Wildwood police acted correctly in closing the parkway to restore order.

Two Republican senators on Wednesday called on the Democratic-controlled Legislature to pass a bill expanding the definition of a riot, allowing local officials in cities that propose police budget cuts to appeal to the state to to return the money, and adding jail terms of up to six months for someone who throws something or hits police officers or other first responders.

“Riots and vandalism will drive away visitors and devastate the summer season,” said Sen. Robert Singer, who proposed the bill with Sen. Joseph Pennacchio. “As a state, we cannot afford this. »

Learn how to take control of your personal finances with Get Your Due, our six-week email bootcamp. Free registration.