Pop-Up Jersey Shore Car Rally Sparks Renewed Call For NJ To Help Towns With Costs, Laws

NEW JERSEY — An Ocean County legislator has renewed his call for a statewide task force to address pop-up parties following an unsanctioned car rally in Wildwood that killed two people and injured others.

"The tragic loss of life in Wildwood this weekend should serve as a wake-up call for anyone who thinks the concerns we raised about pop-up parties over the past year are overblown," said Sen. Robert Singer, who represents the 30th District. "I hope the administration will finally act on our request to create a task force of state and local officials who can work together to develop an effective coordinated plan to respond to future events."

Singer had urged Gov. Phil Murphy in May to create a task force to include New Jersey State Police, NJ Transit, the prosecutor's offices, sheriff's offices and police chiefs in the shore counties to address the parties, which are fueled by social media postings calling for people to show up. Attendees were encouraged to bring their own liquor and marijuana, while music and contests were promised as part of the events.

A pop-up party in May in Long Branch drew nearly 5,000 people and led to a citywide curfew and the use of a stun grenade and smoke to force people to leave. Read more: Flash Grenade, Smoke Deployed At NJ Shore Beach Party

Postings in the immediate aftermath of the Long Branch event encouraged a repeat pop-up party in Point Pleasant Beach. Both Long Branch and Point Pleasant Beach went to court seeking injunctions against the organizers, which halted the events. Read more: Injunction Bars Pop-Up Parties In Point Pleasant Beach

In both cases, however, town officials said the support from Murphy's office was severely lacking.

Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra in May said he reached out to the governor’s office when social media postings urged the party in his town, but received no response for two weeks. A meeting with other mayors and the attorney general’s office did nothing to address the needs of small towns facing a massive influx for one of these events, as happened in Point Pleasant Beach in 2020, and as happened in Wildwood last weekend.

In Wildwood last weekend, every available police officer and fire patrol was called in, along with state police, and police officers from Atlantic City, Ocean City, Upper, Middle, Lower and Cape May, the Wildwood Board of Commissioners said, and "despite being grossly outmanned," worked hard to disperse cars and crowds.

Authorities also shut down the main road leading into Wildwood to halt the influx of people coming to the unsantioned H2oi event.

Two people have been charged in crashes that happened during the Wildwood event. Gerald J. White, 37, of Pittsburgh, has been charged with two counts of death by auto. Authorities say he crashed into a Honda Civic, killing passenger Timothy Ogden, 34, from Clayton, and hit two pedestrians, killing Lindsay Weakland, 18, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on Friday. Eryk R. Wnek, 22, from Linden, is accused of hitting a golf cart carrying six people while doing a burnout in a 2020 BMW on Saturday. He has been charged with aggravated assault and assault by auto, authorities said.

Murphy in May said the state "understands that certain types of pop-up parties have raised public safety concerns. ... We have the utmost faith in our law enforcement officers and know they are well equipped to safely handle these situations. As we have in the past, the Governor’s office stands ready to provide support and resources to our localities."

"By the time enough people get here and gather together where we recognize a party is forming it's already too late," Kanitra said in May. Read more: Point Beach Mayor Blasts Pop-Up Party 'Idiots,' State's Response

Kanitra said the problem is preparing for these pop-up parties is expensive in terms of needed law enforcement, but also in terms of coordination with police departments in neighboring towns. Long Branch needed law enforcement assistance with the May 21 event, and Point Pleasant Beach had to call on its neighbors for support during a June 2020 pop-up party that left garbage strewn around town and led to arrests.

"It’s not sustainable to keep allocating resources in case something happens," Kanitra said. "Tax dollars are being totally wasted."

"There needs to be better coordination among state and local officials to respond to pop-up parties along with some sort of funding mechanism to help pay for the unexpected cost of calling in extra police to respond," Singer said in May.

Singer also urged the legislature to act on legislation he sponsors with Sen. Joe Pennacchio that updates the state’s riot law and creates the crimes of aggravated riot, inciting a riot, and aggravated inciting a riot.

The measure also addresses certain budgetary concerns related to law enforcement and provides that a municipality has a duty to allow law enforcement to respond appropriately to protect persons and property during a riot or an unlawful assembly.

"It’s going to take a combination of legislation to better target the disruption caused by pop-up parties and a comprehensive playbook that state and local officials can use to guide a coordinated response to these increasingly dangerous events," Singer said. "Towns might have a hard time responding to large pop-up parties on their own, but they’ll have a much better chance of maintaining public safety if there are clear protocols for requesting and deploying additional local, county, and State resources when needed."