By LYNDA COHEN
Ocean City police officers are investigating the stabbing of a teenager Saturday night on the Boardwalk.
The incident was part of chaos captured on video in a second night of disruptions involving teens as crowds filled the resort for the Memorial Day weekend traditionally known as the shore's summer season kickoff.
"There were just these large groups of kids like this all running around and then large stampedes of teens would start running to where the next brawl was," one mother told
BreakingAC.com.
She asked not to be identified.
In response to the fights and other trouble, Mayor Jay Gillian issued a strongly worded statement Sunday warning that the city "will not tolerate it."
"As in recent years and in other shore towns, Ocean City experienced a number of issues related to large crowds of teens on the Boardwalk, fights, shoplifting and disorderly conduct during the start of Memorial Day Weekend. I understand the impact that this behavior has on all of our residents, guests and business owners, and I want to assure everybody that Ocean City will not tolerate it," Gillian said.
"Our officers made multiple arrests last night and were able to quickly restore order to the Boardwalk once the teens involved in these incidents were removed. We have a highly qualified team of officers on the Boardwalk and throughout town, and they will enforce all laws to the fullest. Ocean City will always be welcoming to all guests, but I want to send a clear message to parents and to teens: 'If you don’t want to behave, don’t come,'" he added.
Police were called to the 1000 block of the Boardwalk for a fight at about 9:12 p.m. Saturday, Sgt. Dan Lancaster said in a press release.
A 15-year-old boy was stabbed in the altercation, Lancaster said.
The victim, whose name was not released due to his age, was treated at the scene by the Ocean City Fire Department and then taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center's City Campus for treatment. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.
The suspect is not known at this time.
Click on link for video of crowds running off the Boardwalk: https://www.tiktok.com/@jpm5041/video/7373114144033099051
But that fight was not the only issue Saturday night.
Video shows police taking what appear to be teenage girls into custody. It was not immediately clear if anyone was charged.
All of the disruptions seemed to be around 10th Street, said the mother who spoke with BreakingAC.
She said there were unconfirmed reports of gunshots, "and stores started going on lockdown."
The mother grabbed her daughter and daughter's friend and left. The "heavy police presence and teens everywhere" made it difficult to get out, she said.
The incident comes a day after police responded to a fight on the Boardwalk involving two juvenile girls.
A large crowd of juveniles surrounded the fight, which happened about 10 p.m. Friday,
OCNJ Daily previously reported.
Officers broke up the group and several teens were detained and turned over to their parents.
No injuries were reported and no charges were filed. There were no weapons involved in the incident, police said.
The city cracked down on rowdy teens in 2023 by closing the beaches at 8 p.m., shutting down Boardwalk bathrooms at 10 p.m. and imposing an 11 p.m. curfew on juveniles on the Ocean City streets and the Boardwalk.
Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to call the Detective Bureau at 609-525-9129.
Police respond to a disturbance on the Boardwalk.
