Multiple Jersey Shore communities either established or re-instituted curfews for minors this summer in an effort to curb large gatherings of drunken teens and other disruptive incidents.

Two months later, township officials and police departments say the curfews have largely been successful, working as a deterrent to teens gathering in large rowdy groups. They’ve led to fewer “curbside warnings,” some officials said, which are face-to-face warnings issued to juveniles for minor offenses, including underage drinking.

In Ocean City, officials instituted a beach curfew at 8 p.m., a general minor’s curfew at 11 p.m. and a backpack ban, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the boardwalk.

The rules “have been extremely effective in diminishing the large gatherings of teens that had become increasingly unruly over the past few summers,” said Doug Bergen, a spokesman for the Cape May County city, who added residents, visitors and business owners have had “overwhelmingly positive” reactions.

Last year, through July 18, there were nearly 17,000 curbside warnings issued, he said. During the same time period this year, there have been roughly 7,000 warnings.

Bergen did not respond to an inquiry about the specific number of juvenile complaints.

In Long Branch, there were seven juvenile complaints signed last year. As of mid-August, there has been only one, said William Broughton, the director of public safety.

Curbside warnings have also gone down there. From April through Sept. 2022, officials issued 40 warnings. As of this year, 15 warnings have been issued since April, he said.

Toms River Police Department Chief Mitchell Little said the summer 10 p.m. curfew for minors without an adult on the township’s barrier islands has also been effective.

“The curfew has given us a great tool to address large groups of juveniles and even those smaller ones causing havoc in our beach communities,” he wrote in an email.

Last summer, the township’s police officers issued 54 such warnings to minors. As of early August, only seven were issued, said Little.

Officers are focusing on larger groups at the beach and after 10 p.m. they can “move them along and disperse them before there are actual other offenses committed,” he said. “So in short, it has dramatically helped the quality of life for our residents in the beach communities.”

No complaints were signed against any minors for curfew violations both last year and this year, Little said.

Toms River officials first implemented a curfew in 2020 and brought it back for 2021 and 2022. In August 2022, officials moved the curfew back an hour — from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Wildwood police officers issued dozens of juvenile complaints over the summer both in 2022 and 2023 so far, but the city does not track the number of curbside warnings issued, said Capt. John Flanigan.

In June, officials in Lavallette joined neighboring towns in instituting a curfew for minors after a vandalism incident over Memorial Day weekend, police chief Christian LaCicero said.

But no curbside warnings were given to minors and no complaints were issued both last summer and this summer, LaCicero said

“It’s a deterrent,” he said of the curfew. “It just gives us the upper hand to control these large gatherings. It seems that’s where the problem comes in.”

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Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com.