Violent night in Seaside Heights ends in multiple arrests and injuries
SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. — A series of violent disturbances, fights, and emergency incidents stretched police resources thin in Seaside Heights late Friday night into early Saturday morning, prompting the deployment of multiple prisoner transport teams, according to Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd.
The evening began to unravel around 9:11 p.m. when a two-car motor vehicle accident at the Glendale Motel escalated into a physical altercation. Officers were unavailable at the time, reportedly due to overwhelming calls elsewhere in the borough, dealing with juvenile fights, and multiple disorderly persons incidents.
By 10:34 p.m., police were seen chasing a man who fled after being spotted urinating outside EJ’s Bar. Just minutes later, at 10:39 p.m., a large fight was reported near the Prime Time Arcade at Hancock Avenue and the boardwalk. Arrests unknown at this time.
At 10:43 p.m., police responded to Lucky Leo’s for reports of an unconscious teenage girl.
Incidents continued to stack up. At 12:13 a.m., a choking child was rescued, though details on the incident remain unclear. One minute later, a large fight at Jimbo’s Restaurant resulted in one person being detained.
At 12:18 a.m., another arrest was made after a fight broke out at Coin Castle Arcade.
Police overwhelmed by crowds and altercations
At 12:49 a.m., the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department responded to a fight at Sumner Avenue and Ocean Terrace, where one suspect was already in custody. Less than half an hour later, another altercation at the Ocean Block of Sumner Avenue prompted further response from sheriff’s deputies.
Crowd control issues escalated by 1:25 a.m. as a large group formed at Ocean Terrace, leading to two arrests. Around 2 a.m., officers responded to Hancock Avenue for reports of a man throwing objects from a rooftop.
“All night long police were dealing with disturbances and fights,” the report noted, resulting in Chief Boyd organizing multiple prisoner transport teams to handle the high number of arrests.
Disorderly conduct and juvenile incidents reported
Throughout the night, authorities dealt with widespread cases of chaos and disorderly conduct. These included intoxicated individuals, beach gate jumpers, and juveniles violating curfew and throwing water bottles at bystanders.
The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department provided support across numerous scenes, working alongside local officers as they responded to a surge in emergency calls across the town.