Days after a 15-year-old was stabbed in the iconic beach resort of Ocean City during a boardwalk riot and the legendary Wildwood Boardwalk needed to be closed, two Republican state senators – Joe Pennacchio (R-26) and Robert Singer (R-30) – are once again calling for their bill introduced in January to see the light of day in the legislature.
“The dreadful activity in Ocean City was completely out of control and totally unacceptable. It was yet another preventable incident, and it should never have happened, but the Legislature dropped the ball,” said Pennacchio. “Our bill would provide communities and law enforcement with the tools necessary to combat these riots. If it was passed when it was introduced, maybe we wouldn’t be worrying about the next ‘event’ that could erupt in violence, property damage and business interruption during the crucial summer season. This will continue to happen until the legislative leaders in Trenton step up.”
“Riots and vandalism will drive visitors away and devastate the summer season. As a state, we cannot afford that,” added Singer. “Make no mistake, these are not peaceful gatherings. Organizers solicit young people to come out and cause trouble. They create situations that are volatile and dangerous. Under our legislation, we can stop these riots before they get out of hand.”
S-399 accomplishes a few things and “expands the categories of riot to include aggravated riot, inciting a riot and aggravated inciting a riot” according to the proposal’s descriptive statement. The bill also stiffens penalties for certain behavior, notably instances when a victim or first responder is struck by a projectile.
Governor Murphy’s 2021 directives tying local law enforcement’s hands in dealing with unruly youths undoubtedly played a major role in Memorial Day Weekend unrest. Unsurprisingly, Murphy resisted what he described as “hysterical” and “ridiculous” media reports.
“The shore did not have a chaotic weekend; there were three very serious incidents, but this was overwhelmingly a huge Memorial Day,” Murphy pushed back on Wednesday.
