Authorities Issue Warning After Chaotic Weekend In Ocean City, Wildwood

CAPE MAY COUNTY, NJ — After a chaotic holiday weekend filled with incidents including the stabbing of a 15-year-old in Ocean City, the shooting of a child in Atlantic City and a state of emergency being declared in Wildwood, authorities are issuing a warning against further bad behavior.

Mayhem was seen throughout the Jersey Shore this Memorial Day. On the Ocean City Boardwalk, it was shortly after 9 p.m. on May 25 when a fight broke out and a 15-year-old boy was stabbed. He was taken to the hospital for further treatment, police said.

It was just last summer when Ocean City put a number of new rules into place in order to curb teenage infractions at the beach, after police responded to 999 emergencies over the holiday weekend.

An 11-year-old boy in Atlantic City was hit by a stray bullet that went through a home in the 100 block of North Rhode Island Avenue that he was in, NBCPhiladelphia.com said. He was brought to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Starting Saturday night in Wildwood, police began responding to "an irrepressible number of calls for service," according to a statement from the city. Most were related to teens and young adults who were in Wildwood for the holiday weekend. As "civil unrest" grew throughout the county, calls for mutual aid also increased, leaving police unable to respond to some calls, according to the statement. This culminated in officials declaring a state of emergency in Wildwood in the early morning hours of Monday, which included closing the boardwalk.

In addressing these incidents, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said that police did the right thing and should be commended.

"Everyone in our shore communities in Cape May County can be assured that law enforcement is here to make our visitors, families and residents safe so they can enjoy their stays, create positive memories and continue family traditions," Sutherland said.

"For those who come to our communities to create unrest, be forewarned that your bad decisions and bad actions will not be tolerated, and law enforcement will use all legal measures to arrest and charge all violators," Sutherland said. "Instead of capturing positive memories, you will be issued charges to answer to and possible permanent records that will impact your future."

Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian shared similar sentiments in a statement.

"Ocean City will always be welcoming to all guests, but I want to send a clear message to parents and to teens: 'If you don't want to behave, don't come,'" Gillian said.

"Wildwood will not tolerate unruly, undisciplined, unparented children nor will we stand by while the laws of the state tie the hands of the police," said Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano, Jr. "We wholeheartedly support the City of Wildwood Police Department in protecting this community from these nuisance crowds on our boardwalk and in the city."

Cape May County Commissioner Director Len Desiderio also released a statement, describing how he watched videos of the boardwalks this past weekend with "horror." He also commended police, but said that it shouldn't have happened in the first place.

Desiderio said he would be working with Sutherland and the county sheriff to get more resources to police and find solutions.

"These issues arose after new laws out of Trenton took the handcuffs off of disorderly persons and effectively put them on the very police officers who we trust to keep peace and good order," Desiderio said. "Trenton has everything backwards. So far, despite the efforts of our local Legislators, our pleas for help have mostly fallen on deaf ears in Trenton."

He, too, issued a warning.

"We will not tolerate this, and we will not let these thugs steal Summer from our families, our businesses, and our visiting friends," Desiderio said.