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MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. - Officials in Burlington County, New Jersey have announced the cancellation of their annual Independence Day Celebration citing recent violence at similar events across the area.
What they're saying:
Mount Holly Township and the Mount Holly Township Police Department issued a joint statement late Monday announcing that they would be canceling the 2026 Mount Holly Township Independence Day Celebration.
Officials say they have been ‘meticulously’ monitoring local and regional events throughout New Jersey and assessing which events were canceled due to ‘alarming violence.’
They say they have also been keeping track of which communities were able to continue to hold their events with the help of significantly increased security measures and protocols.
The township says the decision was ‘not made lightly.’
"With our spectators and vendors’ safety top of mind, we could not enact a viable, actionable solution in such a short period of time to alleviate our security concerns without incurring additional, significant costs to the Township and our residents," the joint statement read in part.
"We understand the disappointment this decision may cause and extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all who have supported this event over the years," they added.
Dig deeper:
Since May of this year, at least three similar events in Burlington County alone have faced security challenges.
Back on May 1, police in Maple Shade said a large group of teenagers caused a chaotic scene at the Maple Shade Tigers Youth Football Carnival on the event’s first night. The second day of the carnival was canceled as a result, creating fundraising challenges for the team.
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Maple Shade carnival shut down after teen chaos
A South Jersey youth football carnival was canceled after police say hundreds of unruly teens caused chaos, leading to financial loss and increased security measures at similar upcoming events.
About two weeks later, officials in Medford, New Jersey announced they would be increasing security for the Saint Mary of the Lakes Carnival and Music Fest. The town brought in outside agencies to help with security, imposed crowd limits, restricted entrances, and utilized new resources like drones to secure that six-day event.
On May 27, multiple fights broke out on the opening night of the Roebling Carnival in Florence Township. Officials said the incident overwhelmed police who were assigned to the event and at least five people were charged in that incident.
The remaining dates of the Roebling Carnival were subsequently canceled.
"Given the issues at these types of events both locally and across the region and the speed in which they can escalate into large fights, unruly behavior, and/or destruction of property, Township officials and the Police Department have determined this is necessary to ensure public safety," Florence Township Police said at the time.
The Source: Information from the Mount Holly Police Department and previous FOX 29 reporting.