SEASIDE PARK — Several thousand people descended upon the town's already popular boardwalk on Saturday night thanks in large part to a social media ad, police said.

Seaside Heights police chief Tommy Boyd told the Asbury Park Press that a social media post for a party called the "NJ Beach Meet Up"  brought the crowds to the boardwalk in both towns.

A crowd started gathering on the Seaside Heights side of the boardwalk late on Saturday afternoon, according to Christopher Guzman of the Ocean County Scanner News Facebook page, who was on the boardwalk for most of the incident.

The first of several fights broke out in front of Guzman as the crowd moved south into Seaside Park, prompting additional officers from surrounding towns plus the Ocean County Sheriff's Department to respond. Pictures from the scene also show vehicles from The Ocean County SWAT team were also present.

"Throughout the night there was constant fighting, people being arrested for smoking weed. It was overcrowded and very busy for first responders throughout the night," Guzman said.

Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronadry said that while there was a crowd, his officers were brought in and the situation remained under control.

Boyd told the Asbury Park Press that a similar situation developed in Wildwood.

Messages to Boyd and Wildwood Police have not yet been returned.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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