Phillipsburg is enforcing a curfew for kids under the age of 18 with a zero-tolerance policy.

From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., any minor caught in a public area without a parent or guardian could now be fined up to $1,000 and required to do community service. This includes walking, biking on streets, highways, alleys, parks and other public places in Phillipsburg.

If the curfew is violated on multiple occasions, each time will be considered a separate offense.

Exceptions to this rule include school, church, and activities supervised by adults.

Though the curfew itself is not new, Phillipsburg police say they will enforce it more strictly "due to recent law enforcement incidents involving children under 18.”

The zero-tolerance policy has been met with mixed reception.

“I've lived here all my life. P-burg definitely went tremendously downhill from when I was a kid. There are no parents that really watch their kids. They are just running rampant,” said Cindy, a Phillipsburg resident.

“There's no mall in Phillipsburg no more. There's going to tear down the bowling alley, we heard. There's nothing left for these kids to do, so they're just getting in trouble,” said Kaitlyn, a mother of three.

“For me, having the curfew is a necessary evil. There's a lot of problems that occur and have occurred in P-burg. This is hopefully one way of dealing with them,” said John.