Cape May City Council approves new nightly curfew, bag rules for teens

CAPE MAY, N.J. - Cape May City Council approved new measures to address unruly teen behavior, including curfews and bag restrictions, at a special meeting Thursday.

Those under 18 face an 8:00 p.m. beach curfew and 10:30 p.m. citywide curfew unless accompanied by an adult.

What we know:

Cape May officials finalized a new emergency ordinance targeting teen misbehavior Thursday, putting in place curfews and bag restrictions, according to the Thursday City Council agenda. The City Council voted unanimously during a special meeting to pass the measures aimed at deterring what officials describe as a recent uptick in juvenile activity.

Effectively immediately after Thursday's meeting, anyone under 18 is banned from being on Cape May’s beaches after 8:00 p.m. unless accompanied by an adult. 

The same age group is now subject to a 10:30 p.m. curfew for all public places throughout the city unless they are with an adult. There’s also a bag & backpack restriction for anything more than 8 inches in height, width, or depth for the promenade and beaches, which is in place from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for all ages. 

There are exceptions to this ordinance, like medical supply bags. 

What they're saying:

City Manager Paul Dietich said these rules apply every day, year-round.

"So many have to suffer because of a few bad apples," said Cape May visitor John Stalteri.

Dietich said previous regulations included an 11:00 p.m. summertime curfew and a midnight curfew in the offseason. 

"I am kind of confused about the 10:30 p.m. curfew for children under 18 because what’s another half hour," said Cape May visitor Diane Schianodicola.

This week's changes toward the end of the summer come after the city noted a marked increase in juvenile incidents recently, according to Dietich. "We really weren’t experiencing the problems, to be honest. It’s only been over the last I’ll say two to three weeks that we’ve really seen an increase in juvenile activity," he said.

The city manager noted any disorderly behavior will be handled on a case-by-case basis and that officers needed tools in their toolbox to address the issues.

Cape May Mayor Zachary Mullock talked with FOX 29's "Behind the News" program Friday commenting on the curfews. "That puts us in a line with a lot of the other seaside communities. And actually, what we’re kind of seeing was some of the seaside communities that already had this law put into place, we were kind starting to become the after party. So we didn’t want to see that happening," said the mayor.

"Years ago, it was open because we were different. Today the world’s different, it’s not as safe as it used to be," said city visitor Mary Alice Tordella.

What we don't know:

Details on how the bag restrictions and curfews will be enforced or what specific consequences violators could face have not been provided. The extent or nature of the recent incidents prompting the ordinance was not specified.