Belligerent Teens, Arrests, Damage: Toms River Police July 4 Report

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Damaged property. Empty alcohol bottles and litter strewn everywhere. Teens cursing at police officers and throwing rocks.

An 18-year-old from Park Ridge was arrested and charged with theft after stealing a decorative sign from home, police said. A 16-year-old from Millburn was arrested after trying to hit a police officer, and her mother saying she knew her daughter would be drinking alcohol underagel police said.

Toms River police released additional details on Thursday about two large gatherings over the July 4th weekend in the beach sections of the township.

There were 628 calls police answered over the weekend, including 195 calls to the beach communities, said Jillian Messina, media relations specialist for the Toms River Police Department. Of the 195 calls to the beach communities, 24 related to juveniles, and 11 were about disorderly conduct, she said. Read more: Ortley Beach Fight Among 600 Police Calls In Toms River Over July 4th

"We had a number of juveniles and young adults converge on the beach area," Messina said. "Most of them were frequenting local businesses and engaging in lawful activities, however, there were some large groups that formed and several individuals from within those groups created a number of issues resulting in arrests."

"This is becoming an increasing issue with most shore towns, it is not just in our area," Messina said. "Social media definitely fuels the gatherings to levels we haven’t seen before. We are taking a measured response to the issue and providing more coverage in our beach community."

Messina said the issue with the social media-fed gatherings has drawn attention from state authorities and they are working with the prosecutor's office and local law enforcement to address it.

One of the incidents that led to patrol officers intervening happened about 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Messina said.

Police were called to East Colony Road and South Surf Road in the Silver Beach community, as private security tried to deal with a group of 40 to 50 kids refusing to leave, Messina said.

Police ordered the group to disperse, she said, but as they walked down the street, an officer heard one of the guys begin shouting profanity, Messina said, prompting several residents to come outside.

The officer told the young man to quiet down and not disturb the neighbors, and as he approached the young man, the officer saw him steal a decorative sign from the front of a home and walk away with it, Messina said.

The officer told him to stop, but the young man looked at him and took off running, she said, but the officer chased him down. The young man told the officer he was a juvenile and to let him go, but police confirmed he was 18, Messina said.

The young man was identified as Andre Baskapan, 18, of Park Ridge, and he was charged with theft, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct and taken to the Toms River municipal jail, Messina said.

The second incident happened Monday. Police were called to 4th Avenue and the ocean shortly before 9 p.m. for a large crowd of teens on the beach and boardwalk involved in a disturbance, Messina said. The report said a knife might be involved, but that was unfounded, she said.

Police officers began to engage the crowd, she said, which was estimated at 400 to 500 kids. As Toms River's 11 p.m. curfew for the beachfront approached, police told them to leave.

Several started walking down the middle of the road, blocking traffic, and as police continued to tell the kids to leave, one teenage girl turned and held up her middle finger, shouting profanities at one officer, Messina said.

As the officer again told them to get out of the road, the girl turned and tried to hit the officer, Messina said.

With about 200 to 300 kids still nearby, the officer escorted the girl to the side of the road and she started yelling and struggling, flailing her arms and kicking him multiple times until she was arrested and put in a patrol car, Messina said.

The crowd of kids started screaming and throwing rocks at the officer to try to interfere with the arrest, Messina said, but the 16-year-old girl, of Millburn, was taken to police headquarters where she was processed and then released to her mother, Messina said.

The girl's mother "acknowledged she was aware her 16-year-old daughter would have a couple of drinks while at the beach that evening," Messina said. The girl was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and cited for a curfew violation, she said.

"Residents in the area woke up to property damage, and their community littered with garbage and alcohol containers," Messina said, "forcing the township Public Works employees to address the additional nuisance."

"Our beach community is enjoyed by residents and guests year-round, and while we welcome visitors from near and far, we will not tolerate disrespect and destruction," she said. "Please do not drop off children and leave them without supervision."

Toms River reinstituted its curfew for the beach communities in June after hordes of teens destroyed property and left trash all over during Memorial Day weekend.

The curfew prohibits children ages 17 or younger from being outdoors in North Beach and Ortley Beach from 11 p.m. through 5 a.m. unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian, officials said.

Exceptions include medical emergencies, teens travel to and from gainful employment, travel to and from religious or education functions, and travel to and from a private gathering, officials said.