Partying Gone Wrong: Criminal Reforms Turn Very Popular Family Beach Town Into Teenage Anarchy Zone

By Jean Robor | Sunday, 02 July 2023 05:15 AM
2
Views 7.6K
Partying Gone Wrong: Criminal Reforms Turn Very Popular Family Beach Town Into Teenage Anarchy Zone

Mouthing off to police officers in Jersey Shore towns is what the mayor of Seaside Heights heard from teenagers as young as 13.

Summertime means party time for young people. However, residents and the authorities aren’t pleased with how it’s all going down.

According to Fox News, criminal justice reforms are causing an unintended ruckus. Decriminalizing marijuana use, among other relaxed legislation, has prompted large groups of teens to misbehave on boardwalks and beach areas, knowing it’s unlikely they’ll get in trouble for their shenanigans, especially since there have been many restrictions imposed on police officers on how they can interact with the mischievous young people.

Laws intended to help keep teenagers out of the court system have backfired, and some lawmakers are stepping up to address them. They are considering walking back some that involve possession and use of alcohol.

Seaside Heights Mayor Anthony Vaz said, “You don’t want to see a kid with a record that will last the rest of his life, but you can’t let them believe they can do anything they want. That’s unacceptable.”

 INTERESTING WATCH: RFK TALKING TO GLENN BECK ON WORLD ECONOMIC FORUMbell_image

Just like a scene out of MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” on Memorial Day weekend, both Ocean City and Seaside Heights experienced multiple episodes of unrest. Underage drinking and drug use was rampant. Fights and assaults broke out. On the boardwalk in Ocean City, eight teens drank so much that they passed out and were hospitalized.

 WATCH: WE NEED MORE DAD'S LIKE THISbell_image

Holly Kisby, having worked the boardwalk for 30 years, said teens were also setting off fireworks in the crowd, stealing from stores, and destroying property.

Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian posted on the city’s website, “Enough is enough. It’s become clear over the past two summers that these crowds will only grow larger and unrulier unless something changes.”

Teenage drinking and weed smoking is nothing new to the Jersey Shore. But residents and city officials say it has worsened in the past few years since the state has altered its laws.

X