Long Branch, Point Beach Still Bracing For June Mass Parties

LONG BRANCH, NJ — Rumors of pop-up parties in Long Branch and now Point Pleasant continue to circulate on social media, say police in both those towns.

Flyers are circulating on TikTok and elsewhere of a pop-up party June 18 in Point Pleasant Beach, and another one June 19 in Long Branch. Police in both towns said they are preparing for mass crowds. Many of the teens use NJ Transit to get to the Shore towns.

"We have to talk to NJ Transit to do something about them bringing these trains in packed with people," Long Branch Public Safety Director Domingos Saldida previously said.

"We will continue to communicate with the (Long Branch) Mayor’s office and assess operational concerns," said NJ Transit spokesman Jim Smith when asked how NJ Transit plans to deal with crowd control.

The parties are called "Beach Linkup" and the invites tell the public to "BWOW bring your own weed, BWOL bring your own liquor."

"The Point Pleasant Beach Police Department is actively monitoring the social media posts promoting a pop-up party in Point Pleasant Beach on Saturday 6/18/22," wrote Point Pleasant Beach Police on Facebook. "This agency, along with several other county and state agencies, is actively investigating the sources of the social media posts ... We will continue to aggressively monitor."

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said it has gotten more difficult for New Jersey police officers to police mass gatherings, because of a law change made under Gov. Phil Murphy that has limited whether police can stop someone for the underage consumption of marijuana and alcohol.

Due to the law change, police officers can now be charged with the crime of official deprivation of civil rights for certain encounters with the public.

“There is a third-degree crime on top of law enforcement’s head about questioning individuals with marijuana and alcohol. That policy needs to be revisited,” said Golden, a Republican.

The Long Branch Public Safety Director appeared to agree with Golden.

"If you catch a minor with alcohol, you can't even take them to their parents," said Saldida. "I don’t think that’s right. It’s making life very difficult."

Long Branch previously said they charged one person with organizing the pop-up parties, but on Monday, Saldida did not release that person's name or what they were charged with. Also, Long Branch Mayor John Pallone announced previously he is "looking into" suing TikTok and Instagram for hosting the invitations to the mass gatherings.

State Sen. Robert Singer, a Republican Ocean County lawmaker, proposed a task force of law enforcement and mass transit representatives after the infamous May 21 pop-up party in Long Branch. This was when an estimated 5,000 teenagers and young adults descended on Pier Village. Hundreds of people were drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, drag racing and having "twerking contests," said eyewitnesses. Eleven adults and four juveniles were arrested for fighting and vandalism; people danced on top of a Long Branch police car and smashed its windows in.

“The mixture of social media, recreational marijuana, alcohol and police reforms that limit law enforcement’s interactions with our youth is a recipe for disaster for our Shore towns," said Monmouth County Assemblywomen Marilyn Piperno, Republican.

Long Branch Police are bracing for the June 19 gathering, said Saldida.

"We are aware of an unsanctioned pop-up party in Long Branch on June 19," wrote Long Branch Police on Facebook Friday. "We assure you that we are actively monitoring the situation ... There will be zero tolerance for any illegal activity in reference to this pop-up party. Additional updates to follow."

Prior: Long Branch Pop-Up Party Organizers Found; Mayor May Sue TikTok