Testa Calls for Comprehensive State Plan to Help Towns Respond to Pop-up Parties

After a chaotic event in Wildwood this weekend that resulted in two deaths, Senator Michael Testa (R-1) called for the Murphy administration to work with legislators and local officials to develop a comprehensive plan to help towns respond to massive pop-up parties:

“The Murphy administration’s continued inaction in helping towns respond to pop-up parties that have overwhelmed a growing number of Shore communities is disturbing. There aren’t many small towns that can maintain public safety and effectively protect their communities when thousands of rowdy people suddenly show up with little or no warning.

“Those are concerns that I heard from local police chiefs and mayors earlier this year. As we witnessed in Wildwood this weekend, these social media-fueled events can get out of control and quickly turn deadly.

“Unless the Murphy administration works with legislators and local officials who have called for a comprehensive and coordinated plan that includes state support, the problem will only continue to get worse.

“I extend my deepest sympathies to the Weakland and Ogden families for their tragic losses. I believe that working to make this incident the last of its kind in New Jersey is the best way to honor the memory of their loved ones.”