Toms River imposes curfew in effort to stop large pop-up parties, joining other Jersey Shore towns
TOMS RIVER, N.J. -- Many Jersey Shore towns have been trying to keep up with large groups of teenagers and pop-up parties, and now they're imposing curfews.
It's not quite yet summer, but the beaches have already been packed, and in some cases, with too many people.
From Seaside Heights to Long Branch and everywhere in between, there have been concerns surrounding large gatherings, usually made up of teenagers.
READ MORE: Two Jersey Shore towns go to court to block pop-up parties
"The pop-up parties are completely out of control. They're starting out on social media, so they're spreading like wildfire," Matthew Lotano, Toms River Council vice president, told CBS2's Kevin Rincon.
Toms River is the latest Jersey Shore town to enact a curfew for crowd control. It had one for the pandemic. This curfew starts at 11 p.m. for anyone under the age of 18.
"A lot of complaints about loitering, disturbing the peace, fights breaking out, some theft, some destruction of public property," Lotano said.
"When you get that many kids together, you know, sometimes it's going to be that mob mentality," said Kevin Geoghegan, Toms River Council president.
READ MORE: More than a dozen arrested at out-of-control "pop-up" party in Long Branch, N.J.
Finding parties online, that's easy.
"I see them on TikTok and stuff, pages that have these parties or gatherings with certain dates," said Toms River resident Matias Lopez Carete.
"I think if you kept social media out of it, it would be totally fine," said Toms River resident Seton Shearn.
She says there's a certain danger now, given the size of these gatherings.
"I think the curfew is honestly necessary," she said. "It's not safe for people driving at night, and it's not safe for those kids."
READ MORE: Social media "pop-up party" caused public safety emergency, curfew in Long Branch, N.J.
Some homeowners nearby next to the beach feel the curfews are not enough.
"It doesn't seem like they're effective," said one Chadwick Beach homeowner.
Plenty of people are looking toward the parents who allow their kids to stay out late.
"I don't know what's going with the mentality of the parents now. Do they just open their doors and say, 'We'll see you at 2 o'clock in the morning, honey'?" she said.
"I see parents drop off their kids and leave," Chadwick Beach resident Bob Switzer said.
"I just can't believe a parent would do that," Chadwick Beach resident Judy Jordan said.
It's not just teenagers. There are plenty of adults from out of town who have caused issues.
We've seen other curfews enacted as far south as Ocean City. Neighboring Brick has one, Point Pleasant and Long Branch do too, and one thing we have heard from people who live here is that they're not early enough.