A popular New Jersey boardwalk was temporarily shut down, and a state of emergency was declared over hordes of “unruly, undisciplined” teens causing chaos on Memorial Day.
The boardwalk in the shore town of Wildwood was closed just after midnight after police received an “irrepressible number” of complaints about an “extremely large number of young adults & juveniles,” according to a report from the New York Post.
The report explains:
City officials did not cite a specific incident that led them to shut down the boardwalk, but claimed that cops were addressing “civil unrest.” Conditions “began to deteriorate despite the presence and efforts of local police officers and multiple mutual aid law enforcement agencies,” the statement adds.
Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano, Jr. said that the city had declared a “state of emergency” – which allows it to send an abnormally large police presence to the area – and blamed the situation on “unruly” teens.
“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,” Troiano, Jr said in a press release.
Wildwood forced to close its boardwalk early today,“local disaster emergency declared. Due to the irrepressible number of calls for service related to extremely large number of young adults & juveniles,we were unable to respond to certain calls for service within period of time.” pic.twitter.com/oigWSeIYdA
— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) May 27, 2024
“We wholeheartedly support the City of Wildwood Police Department in protecting this community from these nuisance crowds on our boardwalk and in the city,” the mayor’s statement continued.
The boardwalk was reopened around 5:30 a.m.
