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Fights, Gunfire Scare, Stabbings, and State of Emergency
Over Memorial Day weekend, the Jersey Shore saw a tumultuous start to the summer season with police responding to at least three of the state's busiest boardwalks.
On Saturday or Sunday, there were occurrences in Seaside Heights, Wildwood, and Ocean City that required police actions. These incidents included a
stabbing of a 15-year-old during a major brawl, as well as a
false alarm about a gunman that sent people fleeing in Seaside Heights.
Police in
Wildwood declared a state of emergency and shuttered the boardwalk overnight in response to what they described as "civil unrest."
A teenager in Ocean City, Cape May County, suffered a stabbing wound on the boardwalk as part of a bigger altercation that resulted in multiple arrests, according to the police.
On Saturday, May 25th, at approximately 9:12 p.m., Ocean City Police responded to the 1000 block of the Boardwalk for a large fight.
During the altercation, a fifteen (15) year old male was stabbed by an unknown male suspect.
The victim was treated at the scene by the Ocean City Fire Department and transported to Atlantic City Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.
The incident is being investigated by the Police Department’s Detective Bureau.
The City of Wildwood Police Department began to respond to an irrepressible number of calls for service in the City of Wildwood on the evening of Saturday, May 25, 2024.
Most of these calls were related to the extremely large number of young adults and juveniles that were in the city for the Memorial Day weekend. At the peak of this civil unrest, mutual aid requests were sent out to multiple agencies in Cape May County. On May 26, 2024, out of an abundance of caution, Chief Joseph Murphy advised the city commissioners along with the Emergency Management Coordinator for the City of Wildwood that emergent conditions existed due to civil unrest threatening the public health, safety, and welfare of our residents and visitors alike.
Due to this advisement, a local disaster emergency was declared in the early morning hours of May 27, 2024, when conditions again began to deteriorate despite the presence and efforts of local police officers and multiple mutual aid law enforcement agencies. The boardwalk was reopened at 6 a.m. Monday.
On Saturday night, a false alarm of gunfire in Ocean County's Seaside Heights sent crowds running. As police searched for possible shooters or casualties, beachgoers sprinted off the promenade and into the street.
However, Seaside Heights Detective Steve Korman stated on Sunday that the gunfire reports were all false alarms, and that when police cleared the area, the night continued on as usual.
