Jersey Shore town to strictly enforce curfew: "If you act like a fool, you're going to be treated as a fool"
Wildwood city leaders are warning families that police officers will be strictly enforcing a 10 p.m. curfew for minors this upcoming summer.
According to a press release sent by the city in early April, any minor found out past curfew will be arrested and taken to police headquarters, where parents will be assessed a fine of up to $1,000 once they pick up their child.
"If you act like a fool, you're going to be treated as a fool, and you'll be handled accordingly," Mayor Ernie Troiano, Jr. said. "If you don't do it at home, don't do it here, and if you do that behavior at home, then stay the hell home. We don't want you here."
City leaders are hoping to avoid a repeat of last year, when the police department declared a state of emergency on Memorial Day weekend due to "numerous incidents of civil unrest" related to an "extremely large number of young adults and juveniles."
Eileen Robinson lives in Wildwood, and she expressed disappointment over the number of violent incidents last summer involving teenagers.
"It didn't make me or my family happy," Robinson said. "That's not what the boardwalk is for."
Troiano said most of the city's challenges with young people happened between prom season and senior week.
As part of its "Every Night is a Family Night" campaign, the city will have extra officers patrolling the boardwalk.
However, Troiano said it's been challenging to recruit more police officers, which he blamed on a nationwide shortage. He said the city will likely pay money to bring New Jersey state troopers and Cape May County Sheriff's Office deputies to work the boardwalk.
