By: Morgan Reitzel, Follow South Jersey Intern
WILDWOOD, N.J. – Wildwood is being added to the list of beach towns putting extensive rules and curfews on their residents and visitors that began this month to combat misbehavior and disruptions at the boardwalks.
What are the new rules and regulations? On July 23, 2023 the board of commissioners of Wildwood passed Ordinance 1267-23 that is closest beaches at 9 p.m. and pushing back the curfew for minors from any public place from 1 a.m. to midnight unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian and/or traveling from business or job. It is unknown what the penalty would be for breaking the curfew.
Commissioner Steve Mikulski, who oversees public safety in Wildwood, believes that the earlier curfew will help the police direct their attention to the business district where they may be needed more than at the boardwalk. At a July 12 commission meeting, the commissioners were discussing rioting on the Fourth of July weekend with 60 minors, public intoxication, alcohol violations, shoplifting, etc.
“The city shared the Wildwood Police Department’s Officers report for January 1 through July 25. During that nearly seven-month time frame, the police department issued 1,616 summonses for ordinance violations.Wildwood officers wrote 272 summonses for bicycle violations, 101 smoking violations, and 85 animal violations, many of these related to the boardwalk. There were also 59 alcohol violations and nearly 1,100 “miscellaneous” violations written.”
Wildwood Mayor Peter Byron recalls that Wildwood is a popular Jersey Shore destination known for being family-friendly and having a lot of amusement. Not surprisingly, he is determined to keep it that way.
“Wildwood, for anyone who’s ever experienced it, is a happy place,” Byron said. “You can’t come to Wildwood and leave without a smile on your face.”
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