3 Stabbed, Dozens Arrested Over Memorial Day Weekend In Jersey Shore Town

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ — Three people were stabbed and more than 70 people were arrested as about 100,000 tourists descended on Seaside Heights for Memorial Day weekend, borough police said Monday.

Issues on Sunday evening also led Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd to shut down the boardwalk, Detective Steve Korman said.

The arrests included a man who was armed with a firearm, Korman said.

There also was a report of pedestrian hit and flown to a trauma center, but Korman said that happened in Seaside Park.

The three stabbings happened during separate incidents. The first was reported about 8 p.m. on Saturday. A 21-year-old man was stabbed in the back on the Ocean block of Webster Avenue, Korman said. The man was evaluated by Tri-Boro First Aid Squad and taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center then flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, he said. The victim was treated but he refused to cooperate with investigators and declined further police assistance, Korman said.

The second stabbing was reported about 6:45 p.m. Sunday at Sherman Avenue and Ocean Terrace, he said. A 22-year-old man was stabbed in the hip and taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center by ambulance. He also refused to cooperate with investigators, Korman said.

The third stabbing happened shortly before Boyd shut down the boardwalk, Korman said. The victim was an 18-year-old man who was stabbed in the right thigh; he also was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center by ambulance and he also refused to cooperate with investigators, Korman said.

None of the three men were identified and there was no update available on their conditions.

About an hour after the boardwalk was shut down, Seaside Heights police responded to a report of a fight at Grant Avenue and Ocean Terrace, Korman said. Patrolman James Hans arrested Byron Czaplicki, 21, of Beachwood, during the fight and Czaplicki was charged with possession of a firearm, resisting arrest, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and obstruction of justice, Korman said.

From 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday, police arrested 73 people — 52 adults and 21 juveniles, he said. The total number of arrests were reduced from 2024, where 90 people were arrested during the Memorial Day weekend.

Authorities had warned people, especially parents, that they would be cracking down on bad behavior over the holiday weekend. Curfews and rental rules have been tightened to deter parents from getting rooms to allow teens to have unsupervised parties, which have been blamed for unruly behavior in the past.

Korman said Seaside Heights police had assistance from the rapid deployment force of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and from K9 units from the Ocean County Sheriff's Office and the Brick Township Police Department.