A battle over beach policing in Ocean County was decided in federal court when a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Jenkinson’s against the borough of Point Pleasant Beach.

The lawsuit followed the town's crackdown on drinking and drug use after a large gathering brought thousands of people last summer to the privately run beach.

Mayor Paul Kanitra says it’s a victory for all who live and enjoy the beaches in the town. Kanitra wants to work with Jenkinson’s to continue making the boardwalk and beach a family-friendly destination.

The borough council had passed new regulations to curb illegal activity, up 170% last year from 2019. Jenkinson’s responded with a federal lawsuit claiming its Fourth Amendment rights were violated. Jenkinson’s claimed requiring beach workers to be 18 or over to search coolers was unlawful, as was police patrolling the private beaches.

In federal court Monday, a judge dismissed the lawsuit. In the lawsuit, Jenkinson’s claimed police have no authority to regulate the private property beach but did so with petty and micro-managing policing.

"Because the Court is unable to discern the meaning of this convoluted and ambiguous allegation, it is insufficient to form a basis for this cause of action," ruled the judge.

Kanitra says, “Look I think sometimes you need validation in life and the lawsuit was ridiculous from the very start. All we were trying to do here in Point Pleasant Beach was implement some common-sense measures to make sure we had control of some of the chaos that has occurred in the past couple of years.”

Jenkinson’s has not responded to the lawsuit dismissal so far.