(DCWatchdog.com) – Officials in Wildwood, New Jersey, have shut down the boardwalk and declared a state of emergency due to “numerous incidents of civil unrest” caused by young adults and juveniles.
Read the full state of emergency statement below this post.
Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano, Commissioners of Public Safety Steve Mikulski and Krista McConnell, along with the Wildwood Police Department (WPD), issued a press release detailing that they had received a high number of calls concerning “young adults and juveniles” who were described as “unruly” and “undisciplined.”
Troiano said in the statement, “Wildwood will not tolerate unruly, undisciplined, unparented children nor will we stand by while the laws of the state tie the hands of the police.”
“We wholeheartedly support the City of Wildwood Police Department in protecting this community from these nuisance crowds on our boardwalk and in the city,” he continued.
Officials noted in the joint press release that the WPD responded to an “irrepressible number of calls for service in the City of Wildwood” on Memorial Weekend.
Consequently, Wildwood officials requested assistance from various agencies in Cape May County. “Due to the high volume of calls, we were also unable to respond to certain calls for service within the city for a period of time,” officials added in the press release.
Moreover, Chief Joseph Murphy informed city commissioners and the emergency management coordinator for Wildwood that “emergent conditions” resulted from the “civil unrest” on the boardwalk.
Based on this advisement, a local disaster emergency was declared early this week:
“Through the enactment of a state of emergency during the early morning hours of May 27, 2024, which included the closure of the boardwalk, 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.”
Wildwood’s decision to close the boardwalk and declare a state of emergency follows a stabbing incident involving a teenager who was stabbed by an unknown assailant on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey.
The teenager was later transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Wildwood forced to close its boardwalk early today,“local disaster emergency declared. Due to the irrepressible number of calls for service related to extremely large number of young adults & juveniles,we were unable to respond to certain calls for service within period of time.” pic.twitter.com/oigWSeIYdA
— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) May 27, 2024
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