On Friday, beachgoers were screened before hitting the sand at Jones Beach. Coolers and bags were checked to ensure safety on the beach.

Jones Beach reopened Friday after chaos broke out between hundreds of teens during several "Senior Cut Days."

George Gorman, with New York State Parks, said that there were about 500 people in the crowd Thursday.

“We’ve had senior cut day for decades, that’s nothing unusual, and we are prepared for that. What was different is that there was a report of a gun in the crowd," he said.

Police say that it turned out to be an imitation gun.

Gorman said there were high school and college-aged students in the crowd

“What we think happened was, in the middle of the crowd, there was an impromptu boxing match that took place…” He said the crowd was around that boxing match and people thought there were “fights going on all over the crowd and we don’t think that happened.”

He said they didn’t get first aid cases involving kids who were beaten up. He said their first aid cases were minor.

"This is crazy, everything is out of control and there should be some kind of punishment," Corona resident Naydelin Moreno said.

Police said the teens came from several high schools in Queens and Nassau County for the unsanctioned event after a flyer that circulated on social media brought them together.

State Parks officials said law enforcement was monitoring all social media for any other unsanctioned events to ensure there was an appropriate police presence ready.

“I think it’s awful," Floral Park resident Lala Esteves said. "They put it on social media and then everybody comes.“

New York State Police said crowds began to gather around 3 p.m. Thursday.

New York State Park Police, New York State Police and Nassau County Police said the situation escalated into several fights shortly before 6:30 p.m. Parks officials said the beach was cleared by 8:30 p.m.

"To have fights like that it's not a good thing," Seaford resident George Cibery said.

According to Nassau County police, four people had minor injuries from those fights. They were all treated and released, officials said.

Nassau County police arrested Kyle Thomas, 18, after they said he lifted his shirt and displayed the handle of what appeared to be a firearm in his waistband. Police said it was ultimately an imitation handgun.

The Valley Stream resident was charged with menacing and disorderly conduct, issued a ticket and is scheduled to go before a judge at First District Court in Hempstead on June 27.

The unruly scenes at Jones Beach came after Long Beach police preemptively shut down its beach last Friday, May 30, to prevent crowds of teens from gathering for their 'Senior Cut Day' last week. That move was made to avoid the chaos of previous years, including a 2024 incident in which a teenager was shot during an out-of-control gathering involving approximately 2,000 teens.