‘Chaos’: Unruly teens, young adults wreak havoc on Cape Cod beaches over Fourth of July weekend

FALMOUTH, Mass. — Unruly groups of teenagers and young adults wreaked havoc as they partied on Cape Cod beaches over the Fourth of July weekend, police said.

Officers in Falmouth have dealt with large groups of “disrespectful and rude” teenagers congregating at town beaches every night since Sunday, according to the Falmouth Police Department.

“Their overall behavior was disrespectful and rude, with teens using profanity and taunting officers,” the department said in a statement. “There was widespread evidence of underage drinking as the groups dispersed haphazardly.”

Officers noted that the teenagers were also shooting fireworks into the air and at each other.

“The beaches were left an utter disaster with litter, alcohol containers, and broken glass,” police said.

In one incident, a resident of North Falmouth had a can of beer thrown through the front window of their home, according to police. In another incident, a group of teens reportedly climbed up and trespassed onto the balcony of a Falmouth Heights condominium outside the bedroom of a sleeping child.

Police said there were groups that were respectful and followed officers’ directions but the majority were uncooperative and presenting a public nuisance.

“We urge parents to speak to their children about appropriate behavior, good decision-making, and the dangers of drinking. These calls for service were in addition to our already busy call volume,” the department added.

In some cases, there were arrests made for offenses including minors in possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, disturbing the peace, and failing to identify.

In the town of Dennis, the police department shared photos of Mayflower Beach littered with trash from thousands of late-teen and early-20s groups partying in the sand on the Fourth of July.

“By early afternoon, the volume and overcrowding that continued throughout the day were no longer manageable by the already-strong police presence,” the department said in a statement. “By this time, there were many groups of 100+ that had congregated, and crowding was a problem for beach officials, especially with the incoming high tide. Pathways for lifeguards and public safety equipment became congested, and bathhouse facilities began failing.”

Police made a number of arrests and removals from the beach but an extraordinary amount of trash including aluminum cans, towels, clothing, shoes, broken glass, broken coolers, beach chairs, and contraband were left behind for DPW crews to clean.

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