Jones Beach opens Friday, with added security, a day after police break up crowd of hundreds

Jones Beach opened Friday with a larger than usual law enforcement presence, a day after fights broke out at what authorities described as an "unauthorized event" of mainly high school and college students that prompted police to respond with specialized units and a helicopter.

Four people who sustained minor injuries as a result of the fights were treated at the scene, according to a news release issued early Friday by the Nassau County Police Department, one of the forces that was dispatched to break up the crowd. 

An 18-year-old man was also arrested after he allegedly approached officers, lifted his shirt and showed what turned out to be the handle of an imitation firearm in his waistband, the release said. 

What state parks officials described in a release Friday as a "large unauthorized event" near the beach's Central Mall turned unruly sometime around 6:25 p.m. Thursday, when park police, who estimated the crowd at 500, requested assistance from Nassau County police. Nassau police in a release said that 300 people were fighting on the beach when a police helicopter arrived at the scene along with officers from the department's Emergency Services Unit and Bureau of Special Special Operations trained for crowd control and dispersal.

Some of the attendees gathered to watch an informal boxing match held on the beach, said George Gorman, New York State Parks regional director for Long Island. "That's where the public got reports of major fights. There were other fights, but smaller," he said. The injuries included two people who had been exposed to pepper spray, one person who was scratched and one person with a foot injury, he said.  

Video from News 12 showed a helicopter wheeling over hundreds of scattering beachgoers. Nassau police spokesman Det. Lt. Scott Skrynecki said in an email that the helicopter was "on scene to observe the crowd and report to the on scene commander what was happening as well as to search for any victims of the fights or persons who needed medical assistance." The crowd dispersed by 8:30 p.m., authorities said.

Parks officials monitoring social media had increased security at Jones Beach before the event, which occurred as public schools on Long Island and in New York City entered the final weeks of the school year, Gorman said. "We will continue to have a stepped up police/law enforcement presence as needed and continue to monitor social media over the coming weeks," said Dan Keefe, a parks spokesman, in an email. 

Skrynecki said police had no information about what led to the fights, which appeared to have been "spontaneous." The department's Intelligence Center, like park officials, monitors social media to "look for planned events with large crowds," he said.  

The 18-year-old who allegedly displayed an imitation firearm was charged with second-degree menacing and disorderly conduct and was issued an appearance ticket for later this month at First District Court, Hempstead. Newsday is not identifying him because of his age. Skrynecki declined to give additional details about the man's encounter with police. 

About 60 Nassau cops went to the scene, Skrynecki said. Keefe declined to provide a tally.

Gorman said that the event had been advertised online. A cached Instagram post from earlier this week from the handle ishtrollsznalltheway advertised a June 5 "Thirsty Thursday Beach Edition Beach Party" at Jones Beach Field 4 but the original post was no longer available by Friday, and Newsday was unable to contact the account user. 

Park regulations require permits for large gatherings, Gorman said. "If we do receive such a request, we will analyze it and determine if that event can be authorized," he said. 

Thursday's gathering occurred a week after Long Beach police closed the city's beach following word of high school seniors from Long Island and New York City cutting class and heading there.

A series of disturbances on the beach there last year included one with a crowd of more than 2,000 revelers and a shooting inside the Long Beach Long Island Rail Road station, Newsday reported at the time. A 15-year-old was charged in the shooting, the authorities said then.

Newsday's John Asbury and Maureen Mullarkey contributed to this story.