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

POINT PLEASANT BEACH – 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 on Tuesday. Kanitra said the gathering appeared to be a party, and he noted the town will be adding more special officers very soon (see videos below).

"The bottom line is that Point Pleasant Beach is not going to be like anyone's dumping ground," he said, noting that garbage and trash were left on the beach that residents and employees cleaned up overnight.

Since Tuesday night, Kanitra said he's been fielding questions about why the town "has trash everywhere, asking why people were drinking in public yesterday, smoking weed in public, changing in front yards, urinating in bushes."

Few people were wearing masks, and many of them were violating Gov. Phil Murphy's social distancing orders amid the coronavirus outbreak that limit gatherings to 100 people and require people to be 6 feet apart.

"Its a huge thing to prepare to face," he said of the party at Jenkinson's beach. Read more: Update On Police Presence In Point Pleasant Beach (VIDEO)

State and local police departments also assisted, although tragedy did strike after the event.

Murphy, speaking during his Wednesday news conference, said three people from Newark were killed on Route 22 on their way back from the beach gathering. Read more: 3 From Newark Killed On Route 22 After Beach Party: Murphy

At the gathering itself, Col. Patrick J. Callahan, superintendent of the State Police, said 15 troopers assisted the local police, and there were no major incidents to report.

Kanitra said there was no civil unrest, no property damage and no major crimes committed. But he did appear to address remarks and reaction – some of them racially charged – that surfaced on social media and elsewhere.

"Let's take race completely out of this discussion. I personally won't tolerate any residents or anyone else for that matter bringing up the color of anyone's skin when we're talking about yesterday's situation," Kanitra said.

Kanitra said his message is for anyone coming to Point Pleasant Beach.

"If you do not plan to treat Point Pleasant Beach and its residents respectfully, you will leave with a very expensive ticket as a souvenir," he said.

"If you drink in public, you will be cited. If you smoke weed in public, you will be cited. If you throw trash out of your car when you leave, you will be cited," he said.

Kanitra commended the police force and said they will soon get help to handle large crowds. Starting June 20th, 30 additional seasonal officers will be added.

"We're now all in this together," he said. "If you see something, I expect you to pick up the phone and call police, not post on the Internet."

Here is Kanitra speaking on video:

The mayor's and chief's messages came a day after police responded to the large gathering, and videos showed people and masked police officers on the beach.

Here are videos of the situation:

Witnesses said they saw police heading to the boardwalk, and there were people dancing.

The crowd grew by the hour, and mostly appeared to be young adults, Police Chief Joseph Michigan said.

"These adults were observed in the masses to be engaging in unlawful activity that threatened the quality of life in the community," Michigan said.

Police requested mutual aid from surrounding police departments and other agencies, Michigan said. Police were positioned at every entrance to the boardwalk and stood by to "ensure the crowd remained orderly," Michigan said.

The crowd began to disperse around 11 p.m. and patrols continued to monitor the area, Michigan said.

The police are investigating who may be responsible for organizing this beach party event, the chief said.

"I am sorry that the residents and visitors of this town were subjected to this behavior," Michigan said. "This one event should not define our community. We are a family friendly town, and we as a department are committed to keeping it that way."

Residents called for others to go the beach on Wednesday and pick up what was left behind.

Mark Doyle, who has taken pictures for Patch, said there were people and police still at the boardwalk around 10 p.m.

This is a developing story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.