Rising Concerns Over Rowdy Crowds At The NJ Shore Is Nothing New

Memorial Day weekend is now in the rearview mirror, and the summer season of 2025 is off to a roaring start. And when I say roaring, I don't necessarily mean that in a good way.

First, the positives. Our typical summer crowds did hit the road and flood the shore regions like they do every year. In other words, they came roaring in.

Naturally, that means success for our local Shore businesses also came roaring in. And the fact that the Memorial Day weekend featured really nice weather (even though it was on the cool side), there are really no complaints on that front.

All good, but...

However, there were situations where rowdy crowds caused issues along our boardwalks, beaches, and for our amazing Shore businesses as well. In other words, the negative reputation of certain regions at the Shore also came roaring in.

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What stinks about this is that these rowdy crowds visit our shore cities every year. And unfortunately for certain hot spots along the coast, some have to deal with these unruly groups more so than others.

Now, if this seems like it's getting worse to you than it did in the past, then you're not alone. But, is it really? Are the crowds coming to the Jersey Shore during the summer truly becoming more unruly than they used to?

Ringing in the problems

Here's where focusing on the times come into play. Back in the old days, we didn't have technology like we do today.

Here's an example. Think about how you used to connect with one another in the past. No cell phones meant finding a payphone to touch base.

It also meant no texting. Unfortunately, this technology absolutely makes it easier for groups looking to cause problems to reach out to one another at a specific location.

Mapping the next move

Along with the ability to touch base literally anywhere and anytime through text or voice, there's also this little thing known as maps. Unlike the old days, it's a heck of a lot easier to meet up as a group at the touch of a pin.

A drop pin to be more exact. Instead of trying to have to figure out where to go with a paper map or printed directions, we can let our phones tell us how to get right to the destination.

It's seriously easier than ever before to figure out where to go and where to meet. And although this is a good thing for most of us, it also makes it easier for those looking to cause trouble to know where to go and meet up.

Not to mention, car systems now constantly autocorrect if you make a wrong turn. Well that, or they literally tell you what lane you need to get to almost instantly.

More careless media

Probably the biggest thing that allows us to know about all these problems more is the fact that everyone's a news specialist. It's just so much easier to whip out that phone and record everything happening in real time.

Instant news means instant coverage across the board. In the past, we didn't get real time coverage unless it was something major. You would have to wait for the morning, midday, or evening news to know what was going on.

Or, you'd have to wait for the paper to release it's latest edition. But even then, all those extra photos and videos didn't exist back then, which certainly helps make it seem like problems along the coast have gotten worse over time.

And when it comes to the major holiday weekends, those problems are absolutely amplified. But because of the instant coverage thanks to cell phones already on-site, this all seems like it's a lot worse than it used to be.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.