I watched the Seaside boardwalk cam Friday night — the curfew worked

Friday night. First night of Memorial Day weekend. The boardwalk at Seaside Heights lit up the way it has lit up every summer for as long as most of us can remember — ferris wheel spinning, Casino Pier glowing against the dark sky, the boards packed with people walking, laughing, doing exactly what you come to the Jersey Shore to do.

I spent about 40 minutes watching the Seaside Heights boardwalk EarthCam Live tonight. It's mounted on the rooftop of the Midway Steakhouse at Webster Avenue, facing north toward Casino Pier. If you've never watched it, you should — it is the most Jersey thing on the internet.

I was watching for a reason.

After this week's events in Long Branch — the pop-up party that turned into fighting, cars being jumped, an 8 p.m. curfew and a countywide police response — and after everything I've written this week about what's at stake for Shore towns this summer, I wanted to see with my own eyes how Seaside Heights handled the first night.

Here's what I saw.

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Before 10 p.m. — a packed, mostly peaceful boardwalk

The first photos, taken around 9:50 p.m., show exactly what a Memorial Day Friday night boardwalk should look like. Hundreds of people moving in every direction. The rides running. The arcade signs glowing. Families, couples, teenagers doing what teenagers do on a boardwalk. Hoodies and sweatshirts — it was a cool night — but nobody seemed to mind.

It looked like the Shore. The real Shore.

At 10:13 p.m. — the police came through

The under-18 curfew in Seaside Heights is 10 p.m. At 10:13, the camera caught two police vehicles rolling down the boardwalk with lights going. Not sirens. Not chaos. Just a clear, visible, deliberate sweep — the universal signal that the curfew was being enforced and it was time for anyone under 18 without a parent to start moving.

Officers on foot worked both sides of the boards. The crowd gave way. No confrontation visible. No running. Just the quiet authority of law enforcement doing exactly what the town said it would do.

After 10:20 p.m. — the crowd thinned

The third photo tells the real story. Twenty minutes after the police sweep, the boardwalk looked noticeably different. Still people — adults, families, couples — but the density had dropped significantly. Some younger faces remained, which is honest and expected. A curfew is not a magic switch. But the crowd that had been wall-to-wall at 9:50 was measurably thinner by 10:20.

That is the curfew working. Not perfectly — nothing works perfectly on night one of a long weekend — but working.

What the rules actually say

Seaside Heights has been clear about what this summer looks like. Anyone under 18 cannot be on the boardwalk, beach, bayfront, parks or other public places between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, going to or from work, or participating in an approved event.

The boardwalk itself closes to everyone between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and federal holiday nights.

And starting at 7 p.m. daily through the summer season, bags larger than 8 by 6 by 8 inches — backpacks, coolers, satchels — are prohibited on the boardwalk. There are exceptions for medical and infant supplies. Police have authority to issue fines or remove people from the boardwalk for violations.

This is not a suggestion. This is the law in Seaside Heights for summer 2026.

This is just night one

This is the first night of a long weekend going into a long season. One good night does not mean the problem is solved. But one good night matters — it sets a tone, it signals to everyone watching that Seaside Heights is serious, and it gives families a reason to feel like the Shore they love is still theirs.

I applaud the town officials, the state lawmakers and every officer who walked that boardwalk tonight. And yes — I'll applaud the parents too, for the ones who brought their kids or made sure they knew what time to be home.

The Jersey Shore is the number one cultural institution in New Jersey. It is where this state goes to remember what it loves about itself — the salt air, the rides, the food, the families, the memories that last a lifetime. That is worth protecting. That is worth showing up for.

It is a critical time for the Shore we know and love. We are all watching. And tonight, at least, what we watched was encouraging.