The video was first shared by eyewitness Joe Barrasso on early Wednesday morning. The footage shows dozens of young adults violently fighting each other on the boardwalk.
At one point, the footage shows one young man sitting down on one of the benches on the boardwalk. Shortly afterwards, he is attacked by multiple people until he falls to the ground, unresponsive. A young man wearing red and black can also be seen stomping on the unconscious person’s body, but then he too is beaten by another group of people. At the end of the video, the individual in red and black is seen leaving the scene.
Barrasso and his wife can be heard in the video questioning why there are no police at the scene.
In a Wednesday Facebook statement, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan confirmed that the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) is currently investigating the incident.
"The past few days have been extremely difficult for our community and our police department. The safety of our residents and visitors remains our No. 1 priority,” Meehan said.
“We are equally horrified by the actions displayed on social media videos depicting violence and unruly crowds. This behavior has no place in Ocean City, and violence like this will not be tolerated,” he added.
According to The Dispatch, town officials met Wednesday afternoon to address the brawl that had taken place as well as other recent incidents. On Sunday, another fight broke out on the Boardwalk at around 4:20 a.m. local time. One individual was stabbed during the melee.
June is a busy month for the OCPD, as it marks the beginning of tourist season, Delmarva Now reported.
Last June, police received 13,133 calls for service, according to the OCPD’s annual report. Assaults, burglaries and thefts also increase in the resort city in June, Delmarva Now reported.
