Hordes Of 'Out-Of-Control' Teens Swarm Jersey Shore, 15 Arrested

NEW JERSEY — A New Jersey lawmaker is urging Gov. Phil Murphy, NJ Transit and local police to curb future social media pop-up parties in New Jersey, similar to one in Long Branch this weekend that drew a reported crowd of 5,000, saw 15 people arrested and prompted a citywide curfew.

The Saturday night soiree in Long Branch was reportedly advertised among teens via social media, with at least a thousand teens arriving by NJ Transit.

State Sen. Robert Singer (R-30) issued a statement Sunday calling on Murphy and NJ Transit officials to protect Jersey Shore communities from similar instances in the future.

“This weekend’s incident followed the same script we saw last summer, when hordes of out-of-control teenagers swarmed to the shore,” Singer said. “This is not a case of getting some people together and going to the shore, it’s an orchestrated criminal act. These are organized incidents, promoted with flyers and posts all over social media calling for people to ‘bring your booze, bring your marijuana, and let’s go to Long Branch.’”

The invite spread rapidly on TikTok. The invite read "The First Beach Link Up 2022," had a photo of Pier Village, and read "Saturday, May 21, 12 p.m. - UNTIL, BYOLQ (bring your own liquor) and BYOW (bring your own weed), music, eats, fun, YouTubers, good vibes. Tell a friend to tell a friend!"

The proposed task force would include New Jersey State Police, NJ Transit, the Monmouth and Ocean County prosecutor’s offices and sheriffs’ offices, as well as the police chiefs’ associations of Monmouth and Ocean counties.

Scattered fights broke out in the mass gathering, and one police car was vandalized, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey. In total, 11 adults and four teens were arrested, most charged in connection with the fighting. One person was charged with vandalizing the police car.

“The Police Department was always prepared for this event,” Long Branch police said in a statement. “However, going forward we will be communicating with local, county, and state agencies as this is not just an issue exclusive to Long Branch and is seen throughout the state.”

To disperse the crowds, one flash bang or stun grenade was used by police, and smoke was deployed, said Linskey. The curfew meant nobody was allowed out walking or in a car on public streets after 9 p.m. Read more: Flash Grenade, Smoke Deployed At NJ Shore Beach Party

Long Branch police had to call in backup from many other police agencies, including the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team, Monmouth and Middlesex Rapid Deployment Forces, Monmouth County Sheriff's Office, New Jersey State Police, Department of Corrections and NJ Transit Police.

The crowds were so large that the city of Long Branch also implemented a strict 9 p.m. curfew for the entire city Saturday night.

Long Branch Mayor John Pallone and Public Safety Director Domingos Saldida said Sunday the 9 p.m. curfew was necessary, but they also stressed that most of the partygoers were peaceful and followed police commands.

They also said that the Long Branch Police Department heard via social media earlier in the week that the party would happen and that it was prepared:

"The city of Long Branch Police Department was made aware of a possible 'pop-up' beach party earlier this week," Pallone said. "Our police department was prepared for such an event and made contact with all local, county and state agencies. The city of Long Branch Police Department, along with all of the other assisting law enforcement agencies did an exceptional and professional job last night."

"No damage was done to any property and one police vehicle had moderate damage," he said. "A curfew was put in place due to the thousands of people who came to this event. At 9:22 p.m. the crowds were asked to leave Pier Village and by 10:17 p.m. the area was cleared."

Some New Jersey residents took to social media to address the traffic issues, notably Route 36, prompted by the chaos. One Twitter user also reported that the Pier Village shop her teen son was working at during the event was “locked down for a few hours” before employees were told they could leave.

A similar social media-fueled party in Long Branch last summer was also shut down by police.

“It’s not even the summer season yet. We’ve got to be ahead of this, and as a shore legislator, I’m asking the Governor for help now,” Singer said. “Every time we have confrontations like this, there’s a risk of people getting hurt. If we don’t take swift action, this problem will get out of hand and threaten to disrupt the vital shore economy at the worst time imaginable.”