Murphy signs Moriarty, Hutchison, Miller bills to help towns deal with public disturbances like those that rocked shore towns

Wayne Parry, The Press of Atlantic City

TRENTON — Communities will now have more resources, training and manpower to deal with the kinds of sudden public disturbances that have troubled Jersey Shore towns and others in recent summers now that Gov. Phil Murphy has signed two bills into law.

The Democratic governor on Monday signed measures that would fine parents for failing to supervise juveniles who partake in public disturbances, and would direct the state Attorney General's Office to provide crowd control training and additional resources, including help from nearby law enforcement agencies to deal with large gatherings or flash mobs.

“There is still a chance that large gatherings could very quickly descend into chaos and unrest,” said Sen. Paul Moriarty, D-Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic.

“This piece of legislation helps equip local police forces with the knowledge, the tools, the techniques, and the resources they need to be prepared when monitoring a flash mob or a large public gathering, and potentially addressing unrest in the event that a brawl occurs. It also creates a reliable system of protocols that guarantees that all municipalities have the assistance they need in case of emergency."

The measures were among numerous bills introduced in the aftermath of violent disturbances in some shore towns in recent years.

Ocean City saw its second straight year of disturbances during Memorial Day weekend in 2024, including the stabbing of a 15-year-old boy.

That same weekend, Wildwood was swamped with calls for help responding to incidents of rowdy teens and young adults. The disorder led the city to close the Boardwalk overnight and to seek help from neighboring police departments.

Similar disturbances occurred in recent years on boardwalks in Long Branch in Monmouth County and Point Pleasant Beach and Seaside Heights in Ocean County.

A police outreach effort to Spanish speakers in Ocean City continues. The police chief cited national events as reason it is important.

One of the bills would authorize a fine of $1,000 for parents who show "willful or wanton" disregard of their responsibility to supervise juveniles who are determined by a court to be delinquent for engaging in public disturbances resulting in property damage.

The other bill aims to provide state and regional help to individual communities that suddenly find themselves inundated with people in gatherings that threaten public safety.

The attorney general, in consultation with the superintendent of State Police, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, will establish a training program to help communities manage large gatherings or flash mobs.

It includes strategies for responding to social media activity related to large-scale gatherings or flash mobs. Many of the unruly gatherings that caused problems in shore towns were advertised in advance on social media.

Towns would have access to social media monitoring tools and intelligence resources provided through the State Police.

Mobile units and command posts could be set up during these disturbances, and a process would be established for towns to request immediate emergency assistance from other agencies.

The bill defines a “flash mob” or “pop-up party” as a gathering of 50 or more people, typically organized through social media or other electronic communication, that occurs without advance notice to the municipality and impacts public safety. “Large-scale gathering” is defined as any public or private gathering with more than 500 attendees.