Toms River, NJ Police Release Statement on Chaotic 4th of July

Crowds and chaos describe the scene during the 4^th of July holiday.  As you probably have heard, the 4^th of July weekend brought a large number of people to Ortley Beach.

Thanks to social media, it is extremely easy for gatherings like this to take place.

Aside from the streets being flooded by people, there were bigger issues with fireworks on the beach and around town.

This incident definitely started a debate inside my household.  I have two daughters, and thankfully, way too young for this to be an issue anytime soon.

The question is, would I let her, go along with her friends to a “pop-up” party like this.

I mean, it is a beach town.

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Summer is going to be a little noisy.

Summer is supposed to be fun.  It’s not like these kids are wandering the streets of New York City, blocks away from where their parents are hanging out.  They are literally on a street, in a beach town.

Do I have an answer for that question, “whether or not I’d let my girls participate?” I truly don’t.

I do think, kids will be kids.  Obviously, there needs to be a level of respect.

During this incident, there were pockets of problems.

Arrests, fights, and property damage.

What is a pop-up party?

It is exactly what it sounds like.  Kids and young adults are alerted to this via social media, Tiktok, Instagram, Snap Chat, and even Facebook, with the time and location of the gathering.

As you can see, quick messaging is effective.  Hundreds and thousands flood the streets whenever this is secure.

According to the Toms River Instagram Post about the 4^th of July incident and weekend.  Needless to say, there was a lot of activity.

Toms River Police Stats from the 4th of July Weekend 2022:

• Total Calls for the entire holiday weekend: 628
  Beach: 195 (30% of the entire towns calls)
• Fireworks for the Entire Town 108
  Beach 3
• Disorderly Conduct Call for entire town:  75
  Beach: 11

There should be a balance, during the summer months, to allow people to have a good time but have the respect to leave things the way they left them.

This is what cannot happen in our beach towns.  In the wake of the pop-up party or gathering, this is what law enforcement and others had to deal with:

Residents in the area woke up to property damage, and their community littered with garbage and alcohol containers forcing the Township Public Works employees to address the additional nuisance.

Here is the full statement.