View: New Pier Village designs
The final phase of construction of Pier Village in Long Branch is drawing near. Design renderings are courtesy of Melillo and Bauer Associates, Inc. By Dan Radel
wochit | Dan Radel
LONG BRANCH – Police arrested four people on minor charges Saturday after a party with thousands of attendees grew out of control, Public Safety Director Domingos A. Saldida announced Sunday.
“Yesterday, a beach party of what turned out to be thousands of young people from all over the state gathered along the beachfront around Pier Village,” Saldida wrote in a prepared statement. “The gathering started as a social media post which enticed young people to come to Pier Village and attracted visitors who travel by train and car.”
At approximately 5 p.m., “drinking and unruly behavior began at this gathering and visitors were asked to leave the beach,” Saldida wrote.
Videos posted to social media showed large crowds of people running back and forth around Pier Village, occasionally climbing on temporary barriers and in one case dancing on top of a moving car. One video appeared to show a fight between several people.
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Saldida said some businesses in the area closed their doors during the commotion. He said no damage or injuries had been reported.
City police “acted professionally based on their experience and training,” Saldida wrote. They eventually broke up the crowd, and charged four people with disorderly persons offenses, he said.
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Reached for comment late Saturday night, Mayor John Pallone applauded the police response.
“I would like to comment on the fact that the Long Branch police have extensive experience and training and handled the situation very professionally,” Pallone said in a text message.
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Police from neighboring towns and Monmouth County agencies also responded, according to a Facebook post from Atlantic Highlands Police Chief David Rossbach.
But some attendees said the police response was much ado about nothing.
The gathering was “a whole bunch of young adults just enjoying ourselves,” Chavonne Berry, who had gone to the beach with her family Saturday, told the Asbury Park Press Saturday evening.
“There was no violence, there was nothing going on, just dancing and enjoying ourselves,” Berry said. “Y’all couldn’t give us this moment.”
Alex N. Gecan: 732-547-1365; [email protected]; @GeeksterTweets
Contributing: Olivia Liu
Source: Asbury Park