Police in Ocean City, New Jersey, are investigating a stabbing incident, and another nearby coastal city declared a state of emergency over Memorial Day weekend.
Police responded to the boardwalk on Saturday night and discovered that a 15-year-old man had been stabbed by an unknown suspect. The individual was transported to an area hospital and is expected to recover from his injuries.
“As in recent years and other coastal cities, Ocean City experienced a number of issues involving large crowds of teenagers on the boardwalk, fights, shoplifting and disorderly conduct during the start of Memorial Day weekend. “Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said in a statement. “I understand the impact this behavior has on all of our residents, guests and business owners, and I want to assure everyone that Ocean City will not tolerate it.”
“Our officers made multiple arrests last night and were able to quickly restore order on the boardwalk once the teenagers involved in these incidents were removed,” he added.
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People walk along the Ocean City boardwalk in New Jersey in 2023. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
“We have a highly qualified team of officers on the boardwalk and throughout the city, and they will enforce all laws to the fullest extent,” Gillian assured residents.
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“Ocean City will always welcome all guests, but I want to send a clear message to parents and teenagers: 'If you don't want to behave, don't come,'” he warned.
Police responded to the boardwalk on Saturday night and discovered that a 15-year-old man had been stabbed by an unknown suspect. The individual was transported to an area hospital and is expected to recover from his injuries. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Further south in Cape May County, the Wildwood Police Department declared a state of emergency shortly after midnight Monday due to “numerous incidents of civil unrest.” They rescinded that statement hours later, but did not say in a news release whether anyone had been arrested.
The violence comes as a shortage of first responders is causing some municipalities to close or reduce operating hours. for beaches and swimming pools as the weather warms and people seek outdoor water activities to cool off.
A shortage of lifeguards is leading some municipalities to close or reduce the operating hours of beaches and pools as the weather warms and people seek outdoor water activities to cool off. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
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In NYThe beaches will open for Memorial Day weekend, but only 230 of the 600 lifeguards needed to staff and patrol the areas have been hired.
“There are some beaches that will have reduced hours or may not even be able to be fully staffed because we have… a national lifeguard problem that we're trying to solve here in the city,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said this week .
Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
