June 05, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
A juvenile accused of stabbing a 15-year-old boy on the Ocean City boardwalk over Memorial Day weekend was arrested Tuesday in Pleasantville, New Jersey, prosecutors say.
A juvenile accused of stabbing a 15-year-old boy on the Ocean City boardwalk over Memorial Day weekend was arrested Tuesday in Pleasantville, authorities said.
The suspect is being charged as a juvenile with attempted murder, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon, and is being held in a juvenile detention facility, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.
RELATED: Ocean City leaders say police need more power in wake of boardwalk stabbing
The stabbing occurred at 9:12 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, on the boardwalk between Ninth and 10th streets. During a fight between a group of youth, a 15-year-old boy was stabbed in the abdomen, police said. The boy, who also suffered lacerations, was treated for his injuries at the hospital.
Investigators identified the suspect through witness interviews and surveillance footage, authorities said. The Hamilton Township and Pleasantville police departments helped to locate and arrest the suspect.
The fight led to disciplinary action for at least seven youth who will be required to complete community service. During a news conference last week, Ocean City Police Chief Bill Campbell said all of the teens who have been identified by investigators knew one another and were visiting Ocean City from communities in Atlantic County.
The investigation into the stabbing is ongoing. Anyone with information can contact the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at (609) 465-1135 or submit tips online.
The stabbing occurred during a chaotic holiday weekend at the shore. Ocean City police reportedly issued 1,306 curbside warnings and 23 stationhouse adjustments, a disciplinary action in which teens are taken to the police station until their parents can come and help determine appropriate resolutions for their infractions. They also responded to a fight between two teen girls on the boardwalk on Friday, May 24. The girls were surrounded by a large group of youth. Wildwood declared a state of emergency in the early hours of Memorial Day because of large crowds of young people causing "civil unrest."
"Not all these kids are bad; 95% of them are great," Cape May County Commissioner Director Len Desiderio said during the news conference last week. "It's only a small percentage that stir things up. ... They can't come to our county and disrupt things. We will not allow it. We're not going to tolerate any B.S."
Ocean City may consider adopting additional ordinances to support police, but Campbell did not share any specifics. He said the first step will be to deploy 20 new seasonal officers to the boardwalk to help monitor crowds.
Last year, Ocean City enacted an 11 p.m. curfew for minors and a backpack ban on the boardwalk after 8 p.m. as part of a wider effort to discourage unruly teen behavior.
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