Newark’s Youth Curfew Will Be In Effect This Summer (What To Know)

NEWARK, NJ — Newark’s long-running youth curfew will be in effect for the summer of 2025.

City officials recently issued a reminder about Newark’s curfew for people under the age of 18, which has been in place for decades.

Under the city’s ordinance, juveniles can’t be out on the streets between 11 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. on the weekends (Friday to Sunday).

The curfew will be expanded to seven days a week on Monday, July 7. It will revert back to weekends on Monday, Sept. 1.

Here’s what else to know, according to officials:

“The curfew initiative is designed as engagement to prevent youth from being victims of crime, or becoming involved in criminal activity. Underage children found further than 100 yards from their home and without an adult accompanying them, are driven in city vehicles to their residences. If no adult is home, they are brought to the Office of Violence Prevention & Trauma Recovery (OVPTR) main office staffed with social workers until an adult family member comes to get them.”

Last year, the city saw a seven percent decrease in juvenile arrests during the duration of the curfew, according to a statement from the mayor’s office.

“Unlike other cities now adopting a curfew, Newark’s initiative does not include arrests, fines or penalties,” city officials said. “It simply makes them and their parents accountable for their whereabouts in the wee hours of the night, and, importantly, offers outreach opportunities to learn which kids and families might need any of a wide range of social services and assistance.”

“The engagement has the sole purpose of keeping kids safe and finding out what – if any – help or guidance they require,” officials added.

The concept of youth curfews has seen both criticism and support in New Jersey.

Proponents of youth curfew laws say that the ordinances can help to reduce juvenile violence, gang activity and other types of crime. Others disagree with that stance, however.

The ACLU of New Jersey has been among their detractors, launching court battles against curfews in multiple towns over the past decades.

“It makes no sense to criminalize the innocent activities of these teenagers, and numerous other good kids like them, for problems they haven’t caused,” an ACLU-NJ attorney said.

Other advocacy groups such as The Marshall Project have claimed that youth curfews are ineffective crime-fighting tools that can actually make things worse and strain relationships between teens and police officers.

SUMMER ACTIVITIES

Meanwhile, the city is launching a series of free events and activities this summer.

Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda Sr. said the city plans to give its younger residents a safe and fun way to celebrate their school breaks, including participation in the annual National Night Out and the return of the Newark Public Safety Youth Academy.

Newark firefighters will also announce dates and locations for fire hydrant openings, and residents and visitors will regularly encounter members of the Newark Police Community Focus Team conducting foot patrols and engaging positively with the community, he added.

>> Read More: Summer Fun In Newark (Free Events, Activities For 2025)

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