Dozens of people ended an out-of-control, booze-fueled spring break party in Savannah, Georgia, last weekend.
Tybee Island police arrested 54 unruly spring breakers and issued 116 citations during a major beach “orange crash” at the tourist hotspot.
Authorities also recovered three firearms and a stolen vehicle stolen during the island festival.
Although the number of arrests appears to be higher during the Orange Crush weekend, the number of handcuffed partygoers is down compared to five years ago.
In 2019, an average of 50,000 college students were crammed onto a small island averaging 3 square miles, and 81 people were arrested during the event.
But the island’s community leaders were prepared to take on the historically raucous crowds.
After last year’s violent and chaotic events, local leaders took unprecedented traffic and security measures. According to AJC.
Over the weekend, more than 100 additional officers from the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Natural Resources and other local police departments were called in to help Tybee Island’s 12-member police force maintain order.
Two women were caught on video having sex on the beach over the weekend, apparently causing both of their swimsuit tops to fly off their bodies, drawing a strong reaction from viewers.
Multiple videos posted online over the weekend showed men and women huddled on the boardwalk as fights continued to break out.
In addition to the violence, Tybee Island officials said there was enough trash left on the beach Saturday to fill more than 10 all-terrain vehicle carts.
Unfortunately, high tide hit at 6:54 p.m., and some of the trash scattered on the beach washed into the sea, the media reported.
The festival gained a reputation for its wild atmosphere in the 1990s.
Savannah State University, whose main campus is 26 miles from Tybee Island, discontinued its involvement in the event in 1991, citing high crime rates.
But last year, the event returned to Tybee Island for the first time since 2020, and it came with all the drama.
However, a group of Savannah State University students helped with the cleanup effort Monday, the newspaper said. WJCL.
This year’s event seemed to be going nowhere, but Tybee Island Mayor Brian West said the event was “makeable” thanks to the “preparation” of the community, and all the volunteers who helped get the situation under control. expressed his gratitude.
“There were so many people on the beach yesterday enjoying spring break activities. We are being courteous and cooperative with authorities,” West said in a statement to the media.
“We are very grateful to the many volunteers and public servants who have made this weekend an easy event to hold so far. There are currently many spring breakers on the beach and they are once again having fun and being cooperative. ”
West noted that the crowd “left a lot of trash” on the beach.
Tybee Island’s interim city manager, Michelle Owens, told the outlet: “We were successful in eliminating the chaos and disorderly conduct of last year.”
Tybee Island was the only area to bear the brunt of the parties.
The city of Savannah also dealt with a large number of spring breakers running through the mud downtown.
The crowds became so large that Savannah police were forced to temporarily shut down West Congress Street, which is lined with late-night bars and clubs.
But Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said things went well with the “protocols” the city had in place.
“From a law enforcement perspective, we stopped and engaged in activities that were not authorized,” Johnson said, according to AJC Politics. “When you get to that age, you just want to have a good time.”
Johnson himself was downtown Friday for an event unrelated to Earth Day, but was able to speak with some of the attendees enjoying the city.
Johnson, a Savannah State University graduate, was one of the organizers who helped organize the early Orange Crush parties, the newspaper said.
Speaking with several students from his alma mater, Johnson said he was given the nickname “OC OG.”
“They were excited about it,” Johnson told the media, “and I think I was too.”
