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TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Paul Moriarty aimed at cutting down on organized fighting or other disruptive behavior at a public gathering was approved today by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee. Besides creating the new offense -- which would be a crime of the fourth degree -- the bill, S-3507, would upgrade the penalty for engaging in disorderly conduct in certain circumstances, and would create additional offenses in relation to disorderly conduct.
Under a second bill sponsored by Senator Moriarty, S-3506, the Attorney General (AG) would be tasked with establishing a crowd management training program and providing resources to local law enforcement as needed to help stem disruptive behavior at large-scale gatherings.
The two bills are part of a legislative package introduced in response to recent community events that have been plagued by fights and other such disturbances. In June of 2024, it was reported that an annual event in Gloucester Township was disrupted by unruly crowds and multiple fights, leading to a dozen arrests.
“Community gatherings are meant to be celebratory events that draw people together, but recent disruptions by large groups have spoiled the spirit of such gatherings, and in some cases placed the general health and safety of all who attend at risk,” said Senator Moriarty (D-Gloucester-Camden-Atlantic). “These bills are meant to make such incidents less frequent and to give our public safety officers more training and resources to help bring these situations under control.”
In the Gloucester Township incident, there was reportedly a plan distributed on social media where more than 1,000 people were expected to show up to cause unrest. Police reported that at least 500 people began congregating in large groups during the event, and multiple fights began to occur over several hours. A total of 12 people were arrested, including two adult males and ten juveniles.
Within the same month, there was another report stating that a community event in Pennsauken Township ended early amid safety concerns due to unruly crowds. According to police, multiple large crowds began to form and soon became unruly. Police say six arrests were made during the event, including four adults and two juveniles.
Meantime, over last Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the Shore Season, local police were forced to respond to large, disruptive crowds and unruly behavior at at least three of the state’s most popular boardwalks -- Wildwood, Ocean City and Seaside Heights. Those incidents reportedly included the stabbing of a 15-year-old involved i a large brawl, and forced Wildwood to close its boardwalk overnight and declared a state of emergency due to what police called “civil unrest.”
Unfortunately, such incidents are becoming more frequent, leading some towns to cancel their events altogether.
Under S-3507, the offense of “Inciting a Public Brawl to Cause a Disturbance at a Public Gathering” would be designated a crime of the fourth degree that would carry penalties of up to 18 months imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000 or both. The offense of “Only Inciting a Public Brawl,” would rank as a Disorderly Persons Offense, and be subject to up to six months in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
Under S-3506, crowd management training by the AG would include training techniques for law enforcement especially applicable to juveniles and strategies for responding to social media activity related to large-scale gatherings, flash mobs, or towns where pop-up parties have been known to occur.
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