Juvenile Curfew Passes Mostly Without Comment in Lower

VILLAS – No one from the public was in attendance to comment on Lower Township’s plans to enforce a juvenile curfew that has been on the books for nearly two decades.
Deputy Mayor Dave Perry and Councilman Tom Conrad commented that enforcing the curfew was a good idea and gave the police more enforcement powers.
In the fall, township residents came to the Lower Township Council meeting to express concern over the behavior of juveniles in their neighborhood.
In October 2022, a 76-year-old man was attacked by a teenage girl in the street near his house as a boy challenged a group of adults to a fight.
While the township addressed the specific incidents, officials looked for a way to prevent such events in the future. Officials up and down the Jersey coast have complained of groups of rowdy teens and law enforcement’s hands being tied by an attorney general’s directive on handling juveniles.
Mayor Frank Sippel Feb. 6 said the township had located an ordinance already on the books that called for a curfew for juveniles. The township council then introduced Ordinance 2023-04, modifying the established curfew.
The current ordinance reads, “It is unlawful for juveniles to be on any public street or public place within the township 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the dates of Sept. 15 and May 15 and between midnight to 6 a.m. May 15 to Sept. 15.”
The ordinance allows exceptions to the juvenile curfew, including when they are accompanied by a parent or guardian, when traveling between home and work, and in cases of an emergency.
Any person convicted of this violation shall be subject to up to 180 days of community service or a fine of not more than $1,000 or both. If the juvenile and the juvenile’s parents/guardians are both convicted of this violation, they will perform community service together.