Sea Isle City sets new summer curfew for teens, bans backpacks at night

The curfew will be from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. for those under 18. It begins May 15.

Matt Trapani and Samantha Liebman

Mar 29, 2023, 11:49 AM

Updated 618 days ago

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A Jersey Shore town will enforce an extended curfew for teenagers this summer.
A curfew for those under the age of 18 has been extended in Sea Isle City after residents say that teenagers hanging out on the boardwalk and promenade last summer became a nuisance.
The Sea Isle City Council voted to cancel its old curfew, which was from midnight to 6 a.m. and make it two hours earlier from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for anyone under the age of 18. This applies for the summer. The new rules also make it illegal for businesses to have teens in their establishments past curfew.
“I think a lot of people are afraid to walk the boardwalk or the promenade – I should say at night – because of the groups of kids just mulling around, riding their bikes and not being nice,” says business owner Chuck Dalrymple.
“There have been times that I have left the boardwalk or promenade because of it. On summer nights, it’s nice to be able to come up and enjoy the breeze and walk,” says resident Patricia Linney.
Police would first give two warnings to anyone in violation. A third violation would mean a trip to the police station and a call to a parent. Parents who seem to violate the curfew by willfully allowing their children to be out would be subject to fines.
“I think it’s about time the parents did take the initiative to see that their children are in the house,” says Dalrymple.
There would be some exceptions for teens coming home from a job or with a parent or guardian.
The council also passed a ban on backpacks from the vicinity of the beach and boardwalk between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. This is to prevent weapons from being brought into the area.
The new rules are in effect from May 15 until Sept. 15.