BELMART, N.J. — A video shared on Facebook shows that police in New Jersey choked and forced a surfer to the ground because he couldn’t show them his beach badge.
Police say the event took place in Belmar on Tuesday.
Belmar Chief of Police Tina M. Scott said in a statement Wednesday that the person, Liam Mahoney, 28, of Junction City, California, has been charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and obstruction of justice, which is a mild disorderly persons offense. “He was also given a borough ordinance that said he had to wear a beach badge.”
If you watch the Facebook video, a woman asks why Mahoney is being held when he is holding his badge in the air. The video shows that one cop then chokes Mahoney while another officer holds his hands behind his back. The video shows that people are yelling at the cops to let the surfer go as they wrestle him to the ground.
On its website, Belmar Beautiful Sea Beach says that badges are needed to get into the beach seven days a week. The website says that people who break the rules will be given a ticket and led away from the beach. The site doesn’t say if you have to wear the tag all the time at the beach.
The Chief of Police in Belmar said that a review will be done into how the person was arrested.
