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Three Stabbings and Brawls Spur Boardwalk Closure and 73 Arrests in Seaside Heights

Local authorities deployed extra officers with curfew measures following spates of violence that led to a brief boardwalk closure.

Amusement park rides are at Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
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People walk on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, New Jersey on May 24, 2020, during the Memorial Day weekend holiday. Beaches are being reopened in some coastal areas, often with bathers required to observe social distancing. The pandemic has hammered the American economy and led to a fierce debate over virus restrictions, even as COVID-19 numbers continue rising in parts of the US -- the worst-hit country in the world, with 1.6 million infections and more than 96,000 deaths. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Seaside Heights police arrested 52 adults and 21 juveniles between Friday morning and Monday for fights and disorder along the two-mile boardwalk.
  • Three separate stabbings of young adults occurred within a block of the boardwalk; none of the victims cooperated with investigators and no stabbing suspects have been identified.
  • Police Chief Thomas Boyd ordered a temporary shutdown just after midnight Monday to defuse tensions and the boardwalk reopened later that morning.
  • Borough officials had pre-deployed an additional 100 officers and enforced a 10 p.m. curfew for unaccompanied minors in an effort to curb recurring holiday weekend violence.
  • Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer commended the Seaside Heights Police Department and assisting agencies for protecting the majority of visitors and locals among an estimated 100,000 over the holiday.