Seaside Heights business owners say it was a prosperous Memorial Day weekend despite the chaos
Some business owners tell News 12 that Memorial Day weekend is usually the most chaotic and that crowds settle down for the rest of the summer.
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Fights, arrests and stabbings grabbed the headlines in Seaside Heights this Memorial Day weekend.
In all, 73 people were arrested for bad behavior along the boardwalk, according to Seaside Heights police.
But locals said that despite what transpired on the boardwalk, it was a good weekend.
Kenny Macchiverna owns Playa Bowls on the Seaside Heights boardwalk. He said he did very well financially this weekend.
“It happens every Memorial Day weekend and then it stops. You hold tight, it’s unfortunate,” he said.
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He calls it a “one-off,” which he said won’t be replicated this coming weekend or on the Fourth of July.
Seaside Heights has adjusted by bringing on more police officers to patrol, closing the beach at 8 p.m. and putting a curfew in place on the boardwalk for those under 18 after 10 p.m.
Other boardwalk towns like Wildwood have put in similar restrictions.
Ocean City has gotten even tougher, in effect shutting down its boardwalk each night by forcing businesses to close at 11 p.m. This is something owners in Seaside Heights say they would not support because they make money when the bars close.
Police say that Seaside Heights saw 100,000 this holiday weekend.
