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Seaside Heights beachgoers have mixed reviews about prom weekend crowd

The Seaside Heights Borough Council is already in motion to help prevent future incidents of chaos, like the scene that erupted there during the Memorial Day weekend holiday.

Jill Croce

Jun 6, 2025, 9:26 PM

Updated 12 hr ago

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Summer-like temperatures drew visitors to Seaside Heights on Friday. It's also another prom weekend, which was sure to bring teens to the boardwalk.
Tony Marmatakis, of East Brunswick, has been coming to Seaside Heights his whole life but won't stay around after sundown.
"We just feel more comfortable if we come here during the day...when it's not too packed, and leave when it starts getting crazy," said Marmatakis.
The borough council is already in motion to prevent future chaos. It introduced five ordinance changes this Wednesday that it hopes to adopt to help stop behavioral problems.
“I believe that they're noticing what's going on, trying to do something about it," said Marmatakis.
If things move ahead during the June 18 meeting, backpacks could be banned on the boardwalk - with some exceptions - and the boardwalk could close by 10 p.m. this Fourth of July.
"It's just a few bad apples that always cause the problem," said Seaside Heights property owner Liz Keogham.
Unlike Marmatakis, Keogham wasn’t concerned about prom crowds.
"On the holidays, you have the wild times and then most of the summer it's families and regular people," said Keogham.
Virginia Serido, with Harry & Arty's Candy and Henna, echoed Keogham‘s view.
“I’m not concerned about it being prom weekend,” she said.
Serido believed recent crowds are being fueled by social media and its instantaneous communication.
Minors at Seaside Heights have a season-long curfew of 10 p.m.
Over 70 people, including more than 20 juveniles, were arrested Memorial Day weekend on Seaside's boardwalk.