Gov. Christie's Beachgate Fiasco: How It All Went Down

New Jersey's beaches made national headlines on July 4 weekend, for all the wrong reasons. What was by and large a lovely summer weekend at the Shore was punctuated by headlines of Gov. Chris Christie's "beachgate" scandal.

So, if you spent your weekend under a rock, unplugged at a backwoods cabin or just busy with friends ignoring the fiasco, we're here to get you caught up. Here's how "beachgate" went down and how it progressed to an embarrassing — yet hilarious — level.

1. The photos

A photo of a man relaxing on a beach on July 4 weekend isn't usually all that interesting or noteworthy to the public. Unless that man is the governor who had just closed the very beach on which he sat. Christie, his immediate family and his son's friends enjoyed a beautiful day at Island Beach State Park on Sunday, basking under a cloudless sky on a totally empty beach in front of the governor's summer house. The aerial photos were captured by NJ Advance Media and caused an immediate uproar.

2. The outrage

The day before the governor's playful beach outing was captured for the world to see, he had closed the state parks as part of a government shutdown over a budget stalemate. The images of Christie and his family on the beach he closed sent New Jersey residents into a fury, the national media into a frenzy and the internet on fire with a meme. Christie, however, was unapologetic. "That's just the way it goes," he told reporters. "Run for governor and you can have a residence."

3. The banner

On Monday, as the fury over Christie's private beach vacation continued to build and spread across the country, some locals took matters into their own hands, paying for a message to be flown over Island Beach State Park: "Gov. Christie, Get The Hell Off Island Beach."

Video by Jersey Shore Hurricane News captured the plane and the banner — and the reaction of beachgoers as it passed overhead.

4. The meme

The photo itself took on its own life, spawning dozens of hilarious versions of an internet meme. Here are some highlights:

Jersey Shore cast circa 2017 #ChrisChristie pic.twitter.com/2fA0fq1Pfx
— brandon® (@brandojerg) July 3, 2017

Even editorial cartoonist Steve Breen, a former Jersey Shore resident, got in on the act:

5. The sand sculpture

A sand sculpture mocking the beach chair photo drew plenty of attention in Seaside Heights over the weekend. The sculpture depicted Christie in his now-famous beach chair pose, with his head turned to the left. It shows a shark emerging from the waves, and a sign on Christie's right says "BEACH CLOSED."

Here's a photo:

Photo: Flickr, Loren Kerns

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