A 17-year-old male from Pennsauken was arrested Saturday in connection with a shooting that occurred in the early morning hours on the Wildwood boardwalk, authorities said.
At approximately 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 5, Wildwood Police officers on patrol heard multiple gunshots near Cedar and Atlantic Avenues. Officers quickly responded and saw a male with a firearm fleeing the scene on foot.
The suspect ran onto the crowded boardwalk and discarded the weapon while attempting to evade police.
Police cordoned off the area and began a search with assistance from the Cape May County Sheriff’s Department. A 9mm Palmetto Dagger handgun was recovered near Cedar Avenue. It was loaded with a 17-round magazine and had one round in the chamber. Sixteen 9mm shell casings were recovered from the scene.
No injuries were reported.
Surveillance video captured multiple individuals involved in the shooting. At approximately 5:30 p.m. that same day, detectives located the primary suspect on the boardwalk near Spencer Avenue. He and three others were detained for questioning.
Following the investigation, the 17-year-old was charged with second-degree aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, fourth-degree aggravated assault for pointing a firearm, and possession of a high-capacity magazine.
The juvenile was transported to the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center.
Visitors were already on edge after several report fireworks incidents earlier in the night, which also caused panic on the boardwalk.
“The Wildwood Police Department would like to recognize the efforts of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and Cape May County Sheriff’s Department in bringing this hostile incident to a successful conclusion,” police said.