Cape May is fed up with a summer plagued by disruptive incidents. The solution? A new curfew for anyone under 18.
The City Council voted unanimously Thursday to approve the ordinance, which bars minors from the city’s beaches after 8 p.m. and from other public places, including the boardwalk and promenade, after 10:30 p.m., unless they’re accompanied by a parent or guardian, working, or commuting to or from a job. The rule took effect immediately following the vote.
Cape May Police Chief Dekon Fashaw said the department had responded to incidents involving fighting, underage drinking, and smoking among groups of teens this summer. “We aren’t against juveniles. We are not saying we don’t want them here,” Fashaw said at the meeting, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “While they’re here, we just want them to be responsible.”
Part of the new rules also bans backpacks and other large bags from the beach, boardwalk, and other public areas between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., aimed at making it more difficult to sneak alcohol or drugs into public areas. Medical devices are exempt.
Following Other Shore Towns
Cape May’s move follows similar curfews already in place in Sea Isle City, North Wildwood, and Wildwood—all of which enforce 10 p.m. curfews for unaccompanied minors, and Ocean City, which has a 1 a.m. curfew during the summer, the Inquirer reported. Wildwood also recently moved to close its boardwalk entirely from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. daily, year-round, a rule that applies to visitors and residents of any age.
Officials say that broader trend is part of why Cape May acted. Mayor Zachary Mullock told 6abc that police noticed an influx of minors from neighboring towns affected by curfews, suggesting that teens would come to Cape May to continue partying after the boardwalk or beach shut down in their town.
“We really wanted to make sure we didn’t become the afterparty to some of the other towns that have already made this move,” Mullock said.
The city expedited the vote using a state provision that allows local governments to quickly adopt emergency ordinances when necessary to preserve public order. “It’s come to the attention of city administration and the council that the police department really needs these tools now, not in September, not in October,” city solicitor Christopher Gillin-Schwartz said, per the Inquirer.
With new rules in place, Cape May looks to keep things calmer on its beaches after dark. For now, officials say it’s working. “Frankly, last night, they were out here and the reports I received is that it worked and we just had families out here enjoying a pleasant evening,” Mullock told 6abc the day after the rule took effect.
Tom is a lifelong New Jersey resident, Rutgers and FDU alumni and the publisher of The Digest.
