Officials fed up with rowdy teens in Margate

MARGATE, NJ (WTXF) - Officials in Margate, New Jersey are urging parents to get a better handle on their teens.

It was a rowdy Memorial Day weekend in the typically quiet beach town.

First on Saturday came a large fight on the beach involving some 300 kids on the beach near Washington Avenue.

The melee started around 2:00 in the afternoon and 3 teens were arrested for assault and disorderly conduct.

One police officer was hit with a Gatorade bottle during the incident.

Later that evening a group of out of control teens gathered outside the Wawa in town. Some dubbed it "Club Wa" on social media.

Police arrested 12 people for alcohol, marijuana, and fighting, and all of those arrested were under the age of 20.

Officers had to call on nearby departments to assist with Saturday's chaos, and they say it's hard to enforce the curfew laws.

Margate's mayor says the lack of respect has to stop.

On Friday, people we talked with noticed a big difference in policing.

"I think they stepped everything up. Now there doing a good job and they're hands on with it now."

It's added peace of mind for out of towners like a family visiting from Vegas.

"It's nice to know that there's police around keeping everything under control. I mean we just drove up and it feels really safe around here."