Jersey Shore towns will implement a curfew banning teenagers under 17 from the beach after 10pm

Estimated read time 5 min read


Jersey Shore is implementing a curfew for teens 17 and under, banning them from beaches and the boardwalk after 10pm after residents complained they were ruining ‘family towns’ with partying. 

The towns of Brick, Toms River, Point Pleasant Beach and Long Branch have all brought in curfews for teens after thousands descended on the area to party this summer. 

Toms River brought back it’s 11pm curfew that will remain in place for the rest of the summer after it took effect on Monday. 

Mayor Mo Hill said he was ‘responding to the residents’ request’ for some peace and quiet as homeowners in the area have been complaining about the presence of hundreds of teens partying in the streets and on the beaches. 

‘We don’t want to inhibit the youngsters going out and have a good time, but we do want to prevent any property damage or mischief that might be going on,’ he told NBC New York

Residents started complaining after thousands of people – including hundreds of teens – flocked to the beach to enjoy the warm weather over Memorial Day weekend, especially in parts of Ocean Terrace in the Normandy Beach area. 

‘You see just wild kids, they go from one street to the next. Police chase them off one street, they go to the next street, it’s a real problem,’ resident Bart Zabelski told NBC New York. 

Another resident, Karla, said the area had a ‘nice family feel,’ but the neighborhoods lost that value when there are hundreds of kids ‘going up and down the street.’ 

She also told the outlet that she’s seen kids carry alcohol-filled backpacks, teens urinating in yards, and leaving trash everywhere. 

‘And they curse like you cannot even imagine…worse than a sailor!’ she told NBC New York. 

Toms River implements an 11pm curfew for teens under 17 after residents complained the youngsters were destroying property, urinating in yards, and causing chaos in the streets

Toms River implements an 11pm curfew for teens under 17 after residents complained the youngsters were destroying property, urinating in yards, and causing chaos in the streets 

Teens use phone flashlights to see under the dark skies as they party on the beach

Teens use phone flashlights to see under the dark skies as they party on the beach 

Teen run from police in Long Beach. Police have been battling rampant teens all summer and several towns have also issued curfews to help curb the disturbances they're causing

Teen run from police in Long Beach. Police have been battling rampant teens all summer and several towns have also issued curfews to help curb the disturbances they’re causing  

One teen looks scared as he walks in the opposite direction of police in riot gear on the Jersey Shore sometime this summer

One teen looks scared as he walks in the opposite direction of police in riot gear on the Jersey Shore sometime this summer 

Teens can be seen all over a local business' parking lot near Long Branch

Teens can be seen all over a local business’ parking lot near Long Branch 

In a neighbor town, Brick, the curfew is even earlier: 10pm. Toms River residents are hoping their curfew will also go to that, but town officials haven’t announced anything. 

Zabelski argued that people want to ‘settle down in their homes’ well before 11pm.  

Officials did say they would adjust it if necessary if public safety becomes a concern. 

Point Pleasant Beach and Long Branch have also implemented curfews as it expects a surge of visitors and parties over the holiday weekend. Similar parties have reportedly gotten out of control in the past after locations were announced on social media. 

A TikTok circulating now shows party plans at Point Pleasant Beach on June 18. The party is reportedly starting at noon and going to an unspecified time. It will also feature a dance battle, a twerking contest, and boxing matches. 

The next day, the party is picking up and moving to Long Branch and advertised dancing, food, and music, as well as, bring your own bottle.  

Several other TikToks have popped up showing the crazy crowds of teens swarming the beaches at night, with one user call her family vacation weekend a ‘disaster’ after teens crashed the beach. 

Asbury Park also said it was seeing a pop-up parties being planned on social media for the weekend and said those hosting the parties would be held ‘financially and legally responsible.’ 

Other videos shows groups of teens dance battling and grooving on the crowded sand, as well as, wild youngster sprinting through the streets. Several videos showed cop cars and officers showing up to bust them. 

Toms River also reported pop-up parties being a problem, especially over Memorial Day weekend. 

‘We do not want a repeat of what happened during the Memorial Day weekend this year. With the threat of ‘pop-up’ parties being promoted on social media, we need to give our police officers the authority to maintain the peace in our family-friendly beach communities,’ Hill said. 

Meanwhile, Ocean City said teens are ravaging the streets and causing mayhem. Officials called the city ‘the hottest nightclub for teenagers at the Jersey Shore’ after so many have flocked there for a good time. 

Ocean City said the crowds are bigger than normal and more underage drinking is happening compared to 2021 – when the delta variant was at its peak. 

Teens flood the streets on May 21 in Long Branch to enjoy the nice weather, causing residents to call for reform as they ruin the 'family towns'

Teens flood the streets on May 21 in Long Branch to enjoy the nice weather, causing residents to call for reform as they ruin the ‘family towns’  

Pop-up parties, like this one in Long Branch, promise dance battles and twerking contests

Pop-up parties, like this one in Long Branch, promise dance battles and twerking contests 

Long Branch teens party it up while dancing on the beach last month

Long Branch teens party it up while dancing on the beach last month 

Thousands are expected to flock to the beaches in summer

Thousands are expected to flock to the beaches in summer 

‘It’s just become a whole other set of riff-raff that we’ve never seen before,’ City Council member Jody Levchuk told NBC New York. 

Ocean City has a 10pm curfew, but police have reportedly been keeping the teens on the beach and away from the boardwalk instead. City officials are looking for new ways to enforce the curfew this week, NBC New York reported. 

It is unclear how many people have so far traveled to the Jersey Shore beaches this year, but on average, the popular spot sees around 200,000 visitors around July 4 weekend, according to 2019 estimates done by 94.3 The Point



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