Teens Creating Chaos on NJ Boardwalks. Where Are Their Parents?
What started as a pleasant weekend at the Jersey Shore, ended with people shaking their heads, and flooding Facebook with anger.
Out-of-control teenagers creating havoc, have become the topic of conversation.
People want answers.
By all accounts, all along the Jersey coast, visitors and residents enjoyed great weather. The sun was out, the beaches sparkled and a fun time was had by all.
Businesses along the coast seemed to enjoy a banner weekend as well, and that's good news for everyone.
Unfortunately, several incidents that occurred once the sun set, have left a lot of people angry.
In Ocean City, police responded to a stabbing of a 15-year-old boy. Thankfully, the injury to the boy is reported to be non-life threatening.
Read More: Ocean City Police Confirm Stabbing on Boardwalk (wfpg.com)
According to reports on 6ABC, police were already on the scene arresting two girls in an unrelated incident.
A witness at the scene claimed there were more fights and unruliness.
Meanwhile, in the City of Wildwood, the situation was concerning enough, that authorities declared a state of emergency. No specific details were released, but police posted this:
the City of Wildwood was able to effectively address numerous incidents of civil unrest and ensure the safety and welfare of our residents and visitors. While the actions taken by the City and this agency may have caused some inconvenience, these measures were necessary to ensure public safety and maintain law and order within our jurisdiction.
Read More: State of emergency in Wildwood, NJ Sunday night, boardwalk closed
The comments on Facebook reflect a mix of anger, frustration, and sadness. One common theme is, Where are the parents?
Some suggest that rather than try to shoo the teens away, perhaps they need to start making arrests for curfew violations and force parents to come to get their kids.
As more videos start appearing on social, stakeholders are concerned that these incidents are damaging the communities' family-friendly reputation.
Police can only do so much.
It remains to be seen if this is a harbinger of things to come.
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