June 27, 2024
@NorthWildwoodCityHall/Facebook
North Wildwood police have arrested two teens in connection with an assault on the boardwalk on June 8.
Two teenagers have surrendered to authorities in North Wildwood to face charges stemming from an assault that happened on the boardwalk earlier this month, police said.
A 17-year-old from Philadelphia and a 16-year-old from Ivyland, Bucks County, have each been charged with aggravated assault for the attack that happened June 8 on the boardwalk at 26th Street. The teens were not identified because they're juveniles.
Investigators have not shared details about the incident, but the father of the 22-year-old man who was attacked spoke out about what happened to his son in the days after.
Kenneth Golembewski told 6ABC that he and his family were visiting North Wildwood from Lebanon County and were on the last day of their vacation. Golembewski said his son was with his girlfriend at an arcade around 7:30 p.m. when they were approached by a group of teens. A fight broke out after comments were made to his son's girlfriend, Golembowski said, and his son ended up on the ground. At one point, one of the teens kicked Golembowski's son in the face.
"The kid was all in his face and I just ran over there and I pushed this kid out of the way, and the next thing you know I'm being pushed and shoved around," Golembewski said.
The 22-year-old was taken to the hospital and had a concussion, his father said.
In recent weeks, North Wildwood police had released multiple surveillance photos showing the suspected attackers. Authorities said tips from the public helped investigators identify the teens.
The assault is one of several this summer that have drawn attention to issues with unruly teenagers at Jersey Shore towns. In neighboring Wildwood, a state of emergency was declared over Memorial Day weekend when large groups of teens caused disruptions on the boardwalk, beaches and around the city. That same weekend in Ocean City, a 15-year-old boy was stabbed on the boardwalk during a brawl. An arrest was made earlier this month in that investigation.
North Wildwood enacted a curfew in April that requires people under 18 to be accompanied by parents between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless they're working, running errands for parents or participating in a recreational activity supervised by adults.
Last year, Wildwood moved up its curfew to midnight, banned alcohol on the beach and boardwalk, and designated underage drinking as a "breach of peace" violation. Ocean City enacted an 11 p.m. curfew for minors and a backpack ban on the boardwalk after 8 p.m. And Sea Isle City has a 10 p.m. curfew for minors and has restricted the use of backpacks on the promenade.
Leaders of the shore towns in Cape May County have said they want to work with state lawmakers to develop better solutions for police to address the disturbances and crime in recent years.
