COVID, Schools, Crime: Point Boro, Point Beach Top Stories 2020

POINT PLEASANT — The year 2020 brought illness, strife and death to Point Pleasant Boro and Point Pleasant Beach. It also brought community, perseverance and new beginnings.

Even as a total of 44 lives were taken by the coronavirus in Point Pleasant Boro and Point Pleasant Beach, new businesses opened and local schools did their best to survive.

Patch is looking back at some of the top stories from Point Pleasant Boro and Point Pleasant Beach in 2020:

Point Pleasant Beach Mayor: 'Town Was Treated Like Toilet'

Mayor Paul Kanitra said he will not allow Point Pleasant Beach to "treated like an absolute toilet" following a beach gathering of possibly more than 1,000 people in June. Kanitra said the gathering appeared to be a party, which was captured on video, and he noted the town was planning to add more special officers very soon.

Point Pleasant Boro: 5-Day, Full-Time Schools 'Not An Option' Now

Point Pleasant Boro school officials pushed back against rumors in December regarding how the district may address the coronavirus, saying full-time schooling will "not be an option for a while."

Gov. Murphy: Jenkinson's Will 'Shut' If Patrons Don't Behave

Gov. Phil Murphy said during the summer that he was ready to shut down Jenkinson's in Point Pleasant Beach if patrons didn't engage in social distancing amid the COVID crisis.

2 Stabbed In Fight In Point Pleasant Beach Near Boardwalk: Cops

The community came to grips with two stabbings near the boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach in September that led to two arrests, police said. It was an incident, officials say, that reinforced their recent efforts to reduce alcohol usage and disorderly behavior.

Lenny's Colonial Market In Point Boro 'Saved A Family' Amid COVID

Martha Kelly had pre-existing conditions, so she couldn't go shopping in-person as the coronavirus pandemic struck. Lenny's Colonial Ranch Market, she said, "saved our family." Kelly was one of several people who nominated Lenny's for Patch's "Business of the Year" in Point Pleasant Boro as many businesses continue to battle through the coronavirus pandemic.

Point Pleasant Beach Defends Police Response In Video: UPDATE

A video showing several Point Pleasant Beach police officers arresting a Black man on the boardwalk in July prompted the department's police chief to defend law enforcement's behavior, while others at the scene or on social media protested the cops' actions.

Point Pleasant Beach Takes Action To Limit Coolers, Crowds, Music

Point Pleasant Beach officials say they're limiting the size of coolers so that it's harder to hide contraband, and they've banned loud music on the beach. The council established a legal minimum age of 18 for coolers so children "aren't expected to search for substances they legally can't touch," Kanitra said.

No Jail For Point Pleasant Woman In Hit-Run, Left Victim For Dead

A Point Pleasant woman was sentenced in February to three years probation after she was convicted in a hit-and-run crash, one that left the victim for "dead," prosecutors and the family said. Emma Mae Gnolfo, then 14, was struck while riding her bike in August 2018, and then "carried" by the car that hit her for a "distance," police said.