The New Jersey coastal town of Wildwood closed a popular boardwalk for several hours early Sunday morning after large groups of “unruly and undisciplined” teenagers descended on the boardwalk, local officials said.
Police closed the boardwalk to the public just after midnight after receiving an “uncontrollable number” of complaints about “significant numbers of young people and minors” visiting the boardwalk over Memorial Day weekend, according to a statement from authorities.
City officials did not cite the specific incident that led to the closure of the boardwalk, but claimed police were responding to a “civil disturbance.” The statement added that “despite the presence and efforts of local police officers and multiple mutual aid law enforcement agencies, the situation began to escalate.”
Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. said the city has declared a “state of emergency.” – This allows for an unusually large police force to be deployed to the area. – He blamed the situation on “unruly” teenagers.
“Wildwood will not tolerate unruly, undisciplined and parentless children, nor will we sit idly by while state laws tie the hands of police,” Troiano Jr. said in a news release.
“We wholeheartedly support the work of the Wildwood City Police Department in protecting this area from nuisance crowds on the boardwalk and within the city,” the mayor added.
Local police were busy responding to a “disturbance” on the boardwalk and “were unable to respond to specific calls from within the city for some time,” Wildwood city officials said in a statement.
Police reopened the trail at about 5:30 a.m. and removed police tape that had been placed at the trailhead, police said. NBC10 Philadelphia.
Video footage from the scene showed that heavy rainstorms that continued throughout the night also helped disperse the remaining crowds.
Local authorities said they would “not make any further statements or interviews” about the reason for declaring a state of emergency to mark the solemnity of Memorial Day.
The boardwalk closure came a day after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed on the boardwalk near Ocean City on Saturday night, sending panicked beachgoers fleeing the area.
