Huge Long Branch 'pop-up party' at Pier Village leads to curfew, 15 arrests

LONG BRANCH - For a second straight year, a large "pop-up party" crowd of day-tripping young adults and youths arrived at the beach via NJ Transit as temperatures soared into the upper 80s.

Most found their way to Pier Village, the city's main beachfront attraction.

And for a second straight year, the crowd was dispersed by city police and a 9 p.m. curfew was put in place prohibiting all persons "from using, standing, sitting, traveling or being present on any public street or in any public place."

This occurred after the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said a "public safety emergency ensued as a result of multiple fights breaking out throughout parts of the city involving the partygoers."

Fifteen were arrested for fights between themselves according to the prosecutor's office. Eleven of those arrested were adults, the other four were juveniles.

The prosecutor's office originally reported nine arrests but later announced six more, including an overnight arrest for an individual who allegedly vandalized a police vehicle.

There was otherwise no significant injuries or property damage reported, according to the prosecutor's office.

Long Branch's Director of Public Safety Domingos Saldida said the crowd began to arrive around 3:30 p.m. and swelled to about 5,000 people. He said most of the crowd arrived from trains that departed from Newark.

He said party goers were arriving "500" at a time.

The crowd was much larger than the estimated 1,500 to 2,000 that showed up last June at a similar pop-up party advertised on social media.

"We want people to come to Long Branch and have a good time, just don't wreak havoc. Be respectful of people's space," said Bill Dangler, a city councilman and president of the local chapter of the NAACP.

Dangler said the beaches were busy up and down the Shore yesterday, the first real hot day of the year. He does not know why the large group chose Long Branch.

"It was young people, being young people. But that's no excuse to be disorderly. From what I understand there was a unified effort by law enforcement to keep the peace," Dangler said.

Officials said Saturday's party was the result of social media via flyers presented by a person going by the name of "Dareeq Smith the 3rd." The flyer told people to arrive at Long Branch at noon and gave no end time. The flyer instructed people to "BYOLQ" and "BYOW," a reference to liquor and weed, or cannabis.

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Saldida said they were aware of the flyer for several days before the event and had been coordinating with other law enforcement agencies. The organizers did not ask the city for a permit to hold the event, which is required for special events, such as large gatherings on public or quasi-public private property, according to public code.

Pier Village also sent a notice to its residents on Friday alerting them to a possible pop up party and police presence. The letter was posted to social media and obtained by the press.

The city is also now renting a space at Pier Village for a police substation in order to have more of a presence at the beachfront, which since redevelopment now draws millions of beachgoers each summer according to city beach badge sales.

The substation is new this year.

Multiple local, county and state law enforcement agencies responded to the crowd and the vast majority of those present left peacefully after the announcement of the curfew, according to the prosecutor's office.

Saldida said at one point 1,200 people boarded a train at once to go back home.

One flash bang and the deployment of smoke was used by Department of Corrections officers assisting in limited situations in response to fights taking place and bottles and rocks being thrown where the crowd would not disperse.

A flash bang creates noise and a flash of light. A spokesperson for the prosecutor's office said it was deployed to create a distraction.

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“I would like to thank all of our local law enforcement agencies and our state partners for their response to (Saturday's) incident. Responding agencies worked in unison to create a swift, professional, and tactical response to what was evolving as a dangerous situation. We appreciate the efforts of Long Branch city officials issuing tonight’s curfew in response to the public safety situation. Their efforts are to be commended,” said Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey in a prepared statement.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Long Branch 'pop-up party' at Pier Village leads to arrests, curfew