Toms River Mayor Mo Hill and the Council on Tuesday announced that a strict curfew will be enforced between 11 pm and 5 am on anyone 17 years of age or younger in several parts of the town.
The curfew comes following numerous rowdy parties at Toms River beaches that have become a major nuisance to residents, and have caused concerns for safety, as well.
The curfew will remain in effect until September 30th, and will apply to any minor who is not being accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Violators of the curfew will be subject to a disorderly person’s offense and penalties slapped on them in court.
“The curfews worked well in 2020 and 2021,” Mayor Hill said in a statement. “We had few if any disturbances during those seasons and we do not want a repeat of what happened during the Memorial Day weekend this year. With the threat of “pop-up” parties being promoted on social media, we need to give our Police Officers the authority to maintain the peace in our family friendly beach communities.”
Toms River Police Chief Mitch Little concurred with the mayor.
“The goal and focus of this curfew is not to target children enjoying their time at the shore, but rather to address the destructive behavior we have experienced on both public and private property with large groups of juveniles. It is our responsibility to preserve the quality of life in our beach communities for everyone,” he said.