Shooting on Asbury Park boardwalk injures 2, ignites panic

ASBURY PARK — The Fourth of July fireworks display Thursday night ended with a crowd stampeding after a person was reportedly shot.

Prosecutors said two people were injured and a 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged in the boardwalk shooting about 9:58 p.m.

The crowds on the boardwalk after the fireworks display heard gunshots, sending some into a panic on Thursday night.

The shooting happened near 1st and Ocean avenues. The accused gunman was arrested by Manalapan Police Officer Kyle Williams, who was working a security for the fireworks.

Prosecutors said a 55-year-old woman who was working near the boardwalk was hospitalized with a non-life-threatening wound. A 25-year-old woman who had been walking on the boardwalk suffered a minor injury but declined medical attention. Prosecutors did not explain the extent of the injuries or what motivated the shooting.

Mayor John Moor confirmed one person was shot and was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in response to a Facebook post about the incident.

The mayor also weighed in on the cause of gun violence in Asbury Park.

“My response (mine not the City's) just too many guns on the streets of all City's coming up legally or illegally from southern states," Moor wrote.

Moor, Asbury Park police and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office did not immediately return requests for comment on Friday morning.

Moor told the Asbury Park Sun the fireworks drew a record crowd.

Emily Bader said that after the fireworks as she waited in line for ice cream at a stand on 2nd Avenue looked to her left and saw a crowd of about 50 people running towards her and Convention Hall.

She said she "almost got trampled but we cut the corner right there away from the boardwalk and ran home."

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to include info about the arrest and injuries.

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

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