Teen shot in 'Senior Skip Day' on Long Island; beach restrictions put in place
LONG BEACH, N.Y. (PIX11) -- After a 16-year-old was shot on Long Island on what was apparently a skip-school day attended by thousands of students, two teens are in police custody, and one of them is charged with a list of crimes.
The shooting, which happened after thousands of teens filled Long Beach and its boardwalk, also prompted a notable change in city policy: the beach is now restricted to beach pass holders, only. That means that only local residents or people who pay the $15-per-day fee for a pass will be allowed on the beach. The restriction is daily. It's usually on weekends and holidays only, through June 27. Thursday's crowds and shooting changed that.
"When you see swarms of kids coming in," said Long Beach resident Andrew Alcina, "it's definitely a concern."
The situation was apparently the result of messages on social media calling on kids from a variety of Long Island towns and parts of Queens to have a so-called Senior Skip Day from school at the beach.
Video recorded by residents showed more than 2,000 young people crowded on the beach, near the Edwards Boulevard entrance. Other videos showed some students twerking on a vehicle from one of the three police departments that were on scene. As the crowds grew on Thursday, the Long Beach Police Department called for mutual aid from the Nassau County and MTA Police Departments.
Local residents like Brian Beck said that skip school days have happened every year there for at least three years.
"There's always these big parties on the beach," Beck said. "Long Beach Police called Nassau County," and once police start ordering the young people to leave, he said, "everyone runs off the beach, causing more mayhem."
Witnesses said that that's what happened when gunshots went off at a shopping center six blocks from the beach, near the LIRR station, as well as at the train station itself.
A 16-year-old was shot in the torso, and two people are in police custody. One of them, a 15-year-old, is charged with attempted assault, reckless endangerment, criminal use of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition device.