Crime & Safety
Avalon Closes Beach, Boardwalk Overnight Due To Large Crowds
Avalon's beach and boardwalk will be closed at night until further notice due to "disruptive behavior" of large groups, officials said.
AVALON, NJ — Avalon’s beach and boardwalk will be closed at night until further notice due to “unsafe and disruptive behavior” of large groups, officials said.
Mayor Martin Pagliughi’s executive order went into effect Friday closing the beach daily between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m., and the boardwalk daily between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Pagliughi said the order was established in 2020 and was reinstated to give police the authority “to disperse large groups of individuals who are congregating in unmanageable numbers on public property which often results in unsafe and disruptive behavior.”
Find out what's happening in Ocean Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“Recently, the beach and boardwalk have experienced vandalism to public property and excessive litter and debris created by large groups of individuals who congregate at night,” Pagliughi said.
The order allows police and other authorized personnel access to these areas during restricted times.
Find out what's happening in Ocean Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Pagliughi and Avalon Police Chief Jeffrey Christopher are calling on parents to become more involved with supervising their kids to “maintain the quality of life” in Avalon.
“This unfortunate measure is a direct result of Governor Murphy’s destruction of effective enforcement of laws pertaining to juveniles, and the elimination of certain police powers,” Pagliughi said. “Accountability and education begins at home, and some parents need to take an active approach in managing the activities and whereabouts of their juveniles.”
Other towns along the shore have reported issues involving large crowds of teens.
Beach Haven called a special meeting last week after a crowd of about 300 teens congregated in town over Fourth of July weekend, the SandPaper reported.
Ocean City police deployed additional seasonal officers in April to monitor large crowds of teenage bike riders on the Boardwalk and streets.
In the barrier island sections of Toms River, a curfew for teens is in effect during the summer months.
Keep up to date with what's happening in your community by subscribing to your local Patch newsletter here.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
