No Shots Fired In Seaside Heights, Authorities Say; Teen Curfew Instituted

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ — Authorities instituted a 10 p.m. curfew for teens under age 18 on Saturday night after rumors of a shooting caused several minutes of chaos on the boardwalk.

"There were no shots fired," the Ocean County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Patch Saturday night.

The Seaside Heights boardwalk was filled with teenagers on Saturday evening when a rumor quickly spread about 8:30 p.m. of a shooting.

Multiple videos posted to Instagram show teens sprinting from the boardwalk, and at least one video showed law enforcement running on the boardwalk yelling at teens to get off the boards, with one officer visibly carrying a semiautomatic rifle.

"We responded to reports in several locations but they were unfounded," Seaside Heights Detective Steve Korman said Saturday night.

After authorities determined there had not been a shooting, they instituted the curfew, ordering all teens under 18 to be off the streets by 10 p.m. unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

There is a 10 p.m. curfew in neighboring Lavallette and the barrier island sections of Toms River as well.

In addition to it being Memorial Day weekend, it's also a prom weekend, with many kids celebrating in Seaside Heights.

Authorities said things had calmed down by 11 p.m. EarthCam videos still showed significant crowds on the boardwalk.