An unplanned convergence of hundreds of teens and young adults on the Pier Village waterfront in Long Branch, N.J., ended in disorder earlier this week, leading authorities to call in 139 officers from local and county agencies and impose an 8 p.m. curfew, CBS News reported.
Among those taken into custody were two adult women and three juvenile girls, all from Newark, bringing total arrests to six, CBS News reported. Long Branch police, backed by the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office, appeared on scene in riot gear and worked to clear the area.
Rail travel contributed to the surge, with Business Administrator Charles Shirley Jr. noting that many attendees took the train, creating NJ Transit delays, CBS News reported. He put would-be troublemakers on notice, warning that violence would result in arrest and prosecution.
Footage capturing the scene was shot by Anthony Pizzi, a drone operator who happened to be lodging at a resort nearby and witnessed people jump onto a parked car amid the chaos. He told CBS News that security personnel quickly ushered guests back inside the building and sealed it off.
By Wednesday, officers had been deployed at every boardwalk intersection to search bags and coolers, and authorities made clear another curfew could be imposed if conditions warranted it, CBS News reported. People at the scene told reporters they believed social media was behind the sudden crowd formation.
