Juvenile alone responsible for Point Pleasant Beach stabbing, cops say
POINT PLEASANT BEACH — A juvenile from Newark is the sole person being charged with attempted murder after a stabbing on the Jenkinson's beach on Monday.
Two individuals were initially taken into custody after two males were stabbed on the beach during the afternoon, according to Point Pleasant Beach police.
"We did have two individuals in custody last night, but only one of them is responsible for both stabbings," Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said Tuesday.
He said both victims were in serious but stable condition on Tuesday morning.
Authorities didn't initially say much else about the incident — including what prompted it, who the victims were. But in an updated notification to media late Tuesday morning Billhimer and Point Pleasant Beach Chief of Police Joseph A. Michigan identified them as Alex Galdamez, 22, and William Mazariegogo, 18, both of West Haverstraw, New York.
Billhimer said in a press release Tuesday more information wouldn't be released because the accused is a minor.
The juvenile was charged with two counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, a knife. The juvenile is being detained in the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center.
Police and witnesses told ABC 7 Eyewitness News the stabbing happened after a fight between two groups on the beach. Ocean County Sheriff Mike Mastronardy told NBC New York one victim was stabbed in the chest, the other in the hand. Witnesses told NBC Yew York that the fight may have been over a woman.
A video posted to Twitter by a user identified Kelly McCullough shows lifeguards and police running down the beach. In response, another user, with the username ellabetten1, says she saw the incident while she was working.
"Scariest moment of my life," she wrote.
It has been a rough summer in Point Pleasant Beach all summer with several incidents of rowdy behavior as crowds flocked to the beach after the coronavirus quarantine ended.
After a party in June Point Pleasant Beach, Mayor Paul Kanitra promised to get tough with bad behavior and people who treat the town like "an absolute toilet." The crowds came hours after Gov. Phil Murphy lifted his "stay-at-home" executive order, resulting in six arrests.
Five people who had visited the shore town were later involved in a car crash in Newark that left three dead.
The Borough Council in July adopted an ordinance that, among other things, bans extra-large coolers and loud music.
A video clip showing the arrest of a Black man on the boardwalk in July went viral and drew complaints on social media about excessive force, an allegation rebutted by police chief Joseph Michigan, who said his officers demonstrated professionalism in a volatile situation.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ