Long Beach police clear people from beach, boardwalk at sunset

Long Beach police began warning dozens of beachgoers the beach was closing shortly before 8 p.m. followed by police on foot patrols and pickups  who  went out on the sand to clear the beach at sunset.

Police in  electric cars patrolled the boardwalk warning people at 8:30 that the boardwalk would soon be closing.

Visitors on the boardwalk ran for cover from heavy wind and rain just before 9 p.m.

The closures of the beach and boardwalk Thursday night, ushered in a new policy of nightly closings to keep parties off the beach and swimmers out of the water after lifeguards go off duty.

The policy was instituted by the city following an unruly party on the beach last weekend where 800 people gathered to drink and smoke marijuana on the beach, not wearing masks or social distancing.

Police plan to have an additional 20 to 25 officers on the weekend and at night to control crowds and close the beach and the boardwalk.

“So far tonight we’ve been fortunate and it’s going smoothly. It seems most of the beachgoers know they have  to comply for their safety,” acting Police Commissioner Philip Ragona said Thursday night.

As some groups lingered on the beach before it closed, some said that the city’s measures were necessary to change the mindset of young partygoers on the beach.

“They forced themselves into this. The city has to control the crowds,” Barry Egen 59, of Merrick said. “It is getting into nighttime anyway.  . . . We have to stop this spread.”

Randy Dipadova, 50, of Glen Head, was walking along the boardwalk and said police should  keep the boardwalk open longer.

“I think they could keep it open and help the businesses. It’s getting a little extreme and now we have to go home earlier,” Dipadova said.

The city previously kept the beach open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., although swimming has been prohibited except when lifeguards are on duty from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A smaller crew of lifeguards remains on duty until about 7 p.m.

Anyone disobeying orders to leave the beach or stay out of the water could be subject to a misdemeanor charge and a $500 fine.

Starting this weekend and until Labor Day, the beach will be limited on Friday and Saturday to residents only.

Officials said they had to stop the sale of daily visitor passes on the weekends because beaches were inundated by visitors from outside the city filling up the beach by noon and denying residents access to the beach.

The city will be checking for resident beach passes and on those who share beach passes. Anyone found without a beach pass will be removed from the beach and could be ticketed.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.