A 1963 tram car from the Wildwood Sightseer tram is being restored to its original condition with plans to display it at the George F. Boyer Historical Museum. The Wildwood Historical Society, which saved the rusted vehicle, is raising money to pay for the project.
Michael Tanenbaum
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PACIFIC BEACH – Officers from the San Diego Police Department’s Northern Division filled residents in on how they plan to address illegal use of e-bikes by youths at the Pacific Beach Town Council in October.
SDPD community relations officer Jessica Dishman introduced the Community Oriented Policing Squad team, consisting of officers Zane Peterson, Kurtis Vaughn and Dustin Welsh.
Welsh said the COPS team will be periodically working the beachfront, including the boardwalk, to engage with e-bike riders, initially emphasizing education before enforcement.
“Anything that’s powered by an electrical device we’re going to be stopping, documenting,” he said. “That way, next summer it will not be as big a problem. We can cut it off now.”
Welsh noted that SDPD is also going to be posting new signage all the way down the boardwalk and along the bays so people “can’t say we didn’t know.” He added that there is presently only one sign stating no electronic bikes are allowed, located at the foot of Grand Avenue.
E-bikes have been banned on the city’s beach boardwalks.
Also, Class 3 pedal-assisted e-bikes — which can reach speeds up to 28 mph — are illegal for youngsters to ride because of their speed and power. In California, Class 3 e-bike riders must be at least 16 years old.
Additionally, all riders must wear a helmet, regardless of age, and are subject to the same traffic laws as other vehicles.
Residents, though, were concerned about more than riding on the boardwalk. In reply to an audience member’s comment that youthful e-bike riders are more problematic on streets, Welsh replied, “We’ve started e-bike enforcement in La Jolla near schools that are no longer allowing those bikes on campus.”
Dishman pointed out that the COPS team is stretched thin, having only three officers to patrol the entire area. SDPD Northern Division serves Bay Ho, Bay Park, Clairemont Mesa East and West, La Jolla, Mission Bay Park, Mission Beach, North Clairemont, Pacific Beach, Torrey Pines and University City.
“One day [the COPS team] will focus on La Jolla, another in Mission or Pacific beaches, and everything in-between,” she said.
Dishman added that schools and parents are being enlisted to help curb illegal e-bike use.
“[Legislators are] looking into implementing some type of safety course in school that needs to take place that a parent has to sign off on,” Dishman said. “Maybe SDPD can get involved to inspect the e-bikes to make sure they’re legal because a lot of these e-bikes are modified. We want to make sure they stay within regulation.”
Asked if e-bikes that are found to be illegal, or located in spots where they’re not allowed, can be impounded, Welsh said, “They can get impounded, just like a car.”
“A lot of e-bike education is trying to educate the parents because students are just telling them, ‘My friends have one and I want one,’” Dishman added. “And parents are buying them. We’re also trying to educate parents that they’re responsible (and) can even receive a citation for this.”
A $25 million offer has been made for the former Gillian’s Wonderland Pier site on the Ocean City Boardwalk by South Jersey attorney Philip Norcross and other members of his family, a spokesperson said Friday.
The Norcrosses’ bid for the former amusement park site is one of two that Icona Resorts CEO Eustace Mita — who owns the property — has received in the weeks since his proposal for a luxury hotel was dashed in a vote by City Council.
MORE: Cameras to start flagging drivers who are speeding on Broad Street on Monday
The decades-old amusement park closed in October, prompting heated debate about future development of the site.
Mita confirmed Friday he’s received two bids. He did not identify the other potential buyer and the amount of the competing offer for the property at Sixth Street. Before the bid came in, Mita told the Ocean City Sentinel he expected the second bidder to be Virginia-based home builder NVR, Inc.
Dan Fee, a spokesperson for the Norcross family, said in a statement Friday that Philip is interested in constructing townhomes on the boardwalk property.
“As a long-time Ocean City homeowner who is committed to the future of the city, Phil believes there is a great opportunity to redevelop Wonderland Pier and maintain Ocean City as America’s greatest family resort,” Fee said. “The addition of new, high end townhome options will help ensure the next generation can build memories in the city, just as his family has.”
Mita purchased the Wonderland Pier site in 2021 for a reported $14 million. Former owner and Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian, whose family ran the amusement park for three generations, sold the property to avoid a sheriff’s sale as a result of $8 million in defaulted mortgage loans. Wonderland Pier remained open for three more seasons before Gillian announced plans to close, saying the amusement park was no longer a viable business. Mita said he’s carried annual costs of $1.2 million since buying the property, putting his total investment around $20 million.
For much of the past year, Mita sought support in Ocean City for a $150 million plan to build an eight-story, 252-room hotel at the site. Ocean City’s zoning laws don’t permit new hotels on the boardwalk, and the project would have required a variance to move forward. The proposal sparked controversy in Ocean City, where some residents claimed a high-rise hotel would diminish the town’s family-friendly reputation.
In August, City Council voted 6-1 against a measure that would have asked the planning commission to review the Wonderland Pier site as an area in need of redevelopment. Mita, who was present for the vote, immediately vowed to sell the property and pull out of Ocean City. The council members who voted against the measure said they hoped to evaluate the site as part of a broader master planning process that would not have fit with Mita’s development timeline.
Philip Norcross is a public finance attorney with Mount Laurel-based Parker McCay and serves as chair of the Cooper Foundation, the charitable arm of Cooper University Health Care. He is the brother of U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1st) and George E. Norcross III, the executive chairman of insurance firm Conner Strong & Buckelew and longtime political powerbroker in South Jersey.
In February, a judge tossed out racketeering indictments against Philip and George Norcross — as well as four others — saying the charges didn’t state facts that constituted extortion or criminal coercion with respect to past business deals on the Delaware River waterfront in Camden. This week, the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller accused George Norcross’ insurance firm of a conflict of interest. Norcross denied the allegations and said the claims are an abuse of the power of the comptroller’s office.
Mita operated the Wonderland Pier property this summer as an arcade and pizza shop. As part of his proposed hotel, he had said he would keep the amusement park’s prominent Ferris wheel, carousel and a few other rides running at the property.
In addition to the two bids Mita disclosed, members of the community group Ocean City 2050 — the most vocal opponent of the hotel project — said last month that another investment group is interested in purchasing the Wonderland Pier property. Ocean City 2050 has touted its own vision for a scaled-down Wonderland Commons amusement park with fewer, simpler rides and entertainment options that appeal more to teenagers. The group said that plan also would include a small number of condominiums.
Over the summer, Ocean City 2050 commissioned Rutgers University’s Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling to conduct a survey of residents about the hotel and boardwalk. The poll found people leaned against the Wonderland hotel and were especially against building high-rise properties on the boardwalk.
Disclaimer: Philip Norcross is the uncle of PhillyVoice founder and Chairwoman Lexie Norcross. George E. Norcross III is her father.
Michael Tanenbaum
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Multiple incidents in Wildwood and Ocean City disrupted a busy Memorial Day weekend, prompting local leaders to denounce the unruly behavior that has become an annual problem for Jersey Shore communities.
Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland suggested he may adopt a stricter approach with teens and young adults who cause problems on the boardwalk and elsewhere.
“For those who come to our communities to create unrest, be forewarned that your bad decisions and bad actions will not be tolerated and law enforcement will use all legal measures to arrest and charge all violators,” Sutherland said. “Instead of capturing positive memories you will be issued charges to answer to and possible permanent records that will impact your future.”
In Wildwood, officials declared a state of emergency and shut down the boardwalk early Monday morning due to “an irrepressible number of calls for service” that amounted to “civil unrest” during the weekend. The city had brought in police from other communities for assistance because there were too many complaints to respond to all of them, officials said. Most were related to crowds of teenagers and young adults. The declaration was lifted after a few hours.
In Ocean City, a 15-year-old boy was stabbed during a brawl Saturday night on the 1000 block of the boardwalk. The teen was treated at the scene and an investigation is underway to find the suspect, police said.
Sutherland said Wildwood leaders “took the proper action” by declaring the state of emergency.
“Everyone in our shore communities in Cape May County can be assured that law enforcement is here to make our visitors, families and residents safe,” Sutherland said.
Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. blamed the trend of unruly behavior on state juvenile justice reforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reforms, driven by efforts to address racial disparities, emphasized having police give teens curbside warnings for a variety of minor offenses to limit their mistakes from impacting their futures.
“Wildwood will not tolerate unruly, undisciplined, unparented children nor will we stand by while the laws of the state tie the hands of the police,” Troiano said.
Ocean City enacted local ordinances last year to empower their police to issue “breach of peace” violations for a variety of offenses. Under these laws, police can take juveniles into custody and have their parents or guardians pick them up at the station. The offenses do not remain on teens’ records like more serious crimes do, but they give police more leeway to take juveniles into custody for violations.
In Ocean City, Wildwood and Sea Isle City, earlier juvenile curfews and other restrictions have been adopted to discourage unruly behavior in places where crowds are most likely to gather. Measures have included reduced boardwalk and beach hours. Sea Isle City banned backpacks on its promenade after 10 p.m. during the summer and Wildwood now prohibits alcohol on all beaches and the boardwalk, regardless of whether containers are open or closed.
On Sunday, Cape May County Commissioner Director Len Desiderio said he’s been working with municipalities and legislators for the last three years to come up with solutions to juvenile disturbances. Last Memorial Day, Ocean City police said they received nearly 1,000 reports of misbehavior by young people over the course of the holiday weekend. The year before, there had been 869 reports of such incidents.
“Trenton has everything backward,” Desiderio said. “So far, despite the efforts of our local legislators, our pleas for help have mostly fallen on deaf ears in Trenton.”
Desiderio said he plans to meet with Sutherland and the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office to talk about how resources can be deployed to better support local police in problem areas. He vowed not to “let these thugs steal summer” from people who visit and live at the shore.
The Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority said the state of emergency that restricted boardwalk access on Monday morning helped with enforcing the city’s curfew and prevented serious incidents from occurring.
Sutherland called on residents of Cape May County to continue reporting illegal activity in their communities. He said the extended police responses in Wildwood and Ocean City were effective in stopping what could been more serious injuries or property damage in both cities.
Michael Tanenbaum
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