Wildwood Boardwalk to Close Overnight Despite Business Owners' Pleas

The Wildwood Boardwalk will soon go quiet in the early morning hours, as city commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday evening to implement an overnight closure despite emotional appeals from local business owners who say the move will hurt their bottom line and create new safety concerns.

The new ordinance closes the famously raucous Jersey Shore boardwalk between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. starting May 13th, a decision that Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. and Commissioners Krista McConnell and Steve Mikulski say is necessary to address recent incidents of large crowds and violence that have plagued Wildwood and other resort communities.

"We want businesses to thrive and be busy until 1, 1:30 a.m. even two o'clock in the morning like it used to be," David Zarfati, owner of Karma, Gemini, Oxygen and the Rock, crystal, tattoo and piercing shops told 6ABC. His sentiment echoed the frustration felt by many Boardwalk business owners who packed Wednesday's meeting to voice their opposition.

“There’s no need to shut down the boardwalk for a few bad apples,” one business owner said during public comment.

The commissioners acknowledged the difficult position they're in. "We hope there's a point where we can roll it back," McConnell said. "With the way the state of the world seems to be, it's not something we really feel great about doing, it's something that's just necessary at this moment."

The ordinance had the backing of Police Chief Jim Murphy, who said he was convinced the closure was needed "to mitigate this late night crowd related issues." Mikulski revealed that commissioners initially considered a 2 a.m. closing time but opted for 1 a.m. at the chief's urging. Several business owners lobbied for a compromise of 1:30 a.m., but the ordinance passed on second reading without changes.

Troiano cited incidents from the last two summers, including a Memorial Day weekend two years ago when the city had to declare a state of emergency to close down the Boardwalk. He noted that Wildwood becomes the third most populous city in New Jersey during the summer, after Newark and Jersey City, and said the city has struggled to hire enough police to handle the crowds.

However, commissioners emphasized that enforcement would be flexible and situation-dependent. "If you have customers in there, playing pinball, ordering cheesesteaks, getting a tattoo or ear piercing, we're not going to say, 'Hey close these doors,'" Mikulski said. "It's about preserving the family environment."

Troiano added: "The temperament of the Boardwalk is going to dictate. If you have the rowdy crowds, you'll see enforcement. If the crowds aren't there, we're not going to be running up on the Boardwalk. We have more important things to do."

John DeLong, owner of three Boardwalk restaurants that stay open until 1:30 a.m., and on busy weekends like the Barefoot Country Music Festival, until 2 a.m., called the move "government overreach." He questioned whether crime statistics between 1 and 5 a.m. truly justify restricting access to "one of the greatest landmarks of our country."

Business owners also raised practical concerns. Workers at places like Morey's Piers typically grab pizza after their shifts and use the Boardwalk as a safer route home than city streets. Some speakers noted that serious incidents last summer, including a shooting in a Pacific Avenue parking lot, occurred off the boardwalk entirely.

The closure joins other security measures the city has implemented, including police on horseback, temporary closures, curfews, and bollards at ramp ends. Wildwood isn't alone in grappling with these challenges — resort destinations from Ocean City, N.J., to Miami Beach have contended with crowds who organize through social media posts.

The ordinance, which passed on first reading on April 8, will affect only a limited number of businesses that have remained open past 1 a.m. during the summer. Emergency personnel, authorized city employees, contractors, vendors, and others authorized by the city or police will be exempt from the closure.

Signs will be installed along the boardwalk, and enforcement will fall to the Wildwood Police Department. There will be no nightly announcement or routine clearing of people from the Boardwalk, commissioners said.

As our community prepares for another summer season, the new overnight closure represents a significant shift in how Wildwood balances its identity as a vibrant entertainment destination with the need to maintain public safety. Whether this measure proves temporary or becomes a permanent fixture of Wildwood summers remains to be seen.