Jersey Shore Beach Hurt By Drinking, Partying, Trash: Officials

A Jersey Shore beach has been hurt this summer by trash, drinking and partying. And there was even a bomb threat.

Brigantine Mayor Andy Simpson and Deputy Mayor Vince Sera wrote a letter to the community saying police wrote over 300 tickets on July 4 for everything from drinking and littering to parking violations.

Others are noticing, too. Keith Ritson posted a video on social media to expose how bad the situation has gotten.

"If they no longer allow people at the Brigantine Cove after dark, now you know it's because of the large number of a-holes that couldn't clean up after themselves last night," he wrote.

"We stopped here by boat on our way home after the fireworks were over. The tide was rising fast and about to float all the trash out to sea. We didn't have bags or enough room on the boat to try to do anything about it."

Then, on Saturday, July 6, Brigantine received a letter stating there was a bomb somewhere on the beach. Brigantine Police and the US Coast Guard responded immediately to clear the area, officials said.

The Atlantic County Sheriff’s Office, State Police and Hamilton Township Police all responded to assist police in search the beaches. Once it was determined that there was no real threat, the beaches were reopened, officials said.

"First and foremost, this is a situation the city takes very seriously," officials said.

Vehicles are allowed on some Brigantine beaches, and the officials said police officers are assigned specifically to these areas every Saturday and Sunday.

Public Works has increased trash pickups and the beach taggers are starting earlier on the weekends to make sure every vehicle has a valid permit.

"In preparation for next year, the manager is going to meet with the Department Heads to review what worked and what needs to be improved," the officials said.