Cops Called On NJ Mom As She Was Breastfeeding On Beach

A New Jersey mother of three says a local official told her to cover up, and that the police would be called, because she was breastfeeding her 2 1/2-year-old daughter on a beach.

Michelle Ayala, who spoke to Patch, said the officer who responded to Franklin Pond in Franklin Borough on Tuesday ended up siding with her since New Jersey law permits breastfeeding in public. He even thanked her.

"I just think it's a normal, natural thing, nursing a child – whether she's one, or 2, or newborn – and I don't think it's offensive," Ayala, 36, a Verona native who moved to Franklin Borough in 2013, told nj.com. See the video of Ayala below.

Franklin Borough's municipal attorney, John Ursin, told nj.com he views it as a opportunity for education and counseling about the law. "I think that a situation like this is a good reminder to all about the rights of a breastfeeding mother. I was glad that the Franklin police handled it well, reinforcing the breastfeeding mother's right to breastfeed where she needs to," Ursin said.

Ayala said she was asked by the Recreation Committee secretary, Donna Vreeland, to "do it somewhere else." She said she was was then told that Franklin Pond is a private beach and that, as a member, she had agreed to show no indecent behavior and "they have the right to remove me."

Franklin Borough Administrator Alison McHose released a statement to the New Jersey Herald that said the borough does "regret the situation made any of the guests feel uncomfortable and are using this as an opportunity to remind all involved of a woman's right to breastfeed under New Jersey law."

Police told the Herald they responded to Franklin Pond on Tuesday on a complaint of a woman breastfeeding her baby while on the beach. Police Department spokesman Detective Nevin Mattessich said the call "was for a woman who was breastfeeding her baby and who refused to ‘cover up.'?" He said the officer who answered the call was not told what "cover up" meant.

Friends also expressed support for her on social media.

YouTube photo and video