JERSEY SHORE – State parks are open, but the restrooms are not, causing some people to leave behind disgusting things for parkgoers and park police to find.
During a press conference on May 11, State Police Col. Patrick Callahan said that for the most part, the reopening of parks went well, and the cold weather had something to do with that. However, officers reported an “inordinate amount” of urine in bottles and feces left in parks.
“We understand that the restrooms are closed,” but people should be preparing for that before they leave the house, he said.
“There is a zero tolerance policy for that,” he said. “The whole idea behind the parks is to give our citizens the ability to go out there and enjoy fresh air and have time outside.”
Park, state and county police will be on the lookout for this behavior, and will charge people if they see it.
Gov. Phil Murphy repeated that there would be zero tolerance for any residents caught leaving waste like that.
“You’re not going to get a warning if we catch you leaving something like that behind,” Murphy said.
Additionally, Murphy noted that people need to be wearing masks or some other kind of facial covering at these parks.
There are a lot of parks with narrow trails, and you physically can’t social distance in situations like this.
“The more we can cover up our faces, the better off we’ll be,” he said. This applies to all areas of life, not just parks.
Murphy’s Executive Order closed all parks on March 31, and state parks reopened at the beginning of May. He also gave each county the option of opening their parks and golf courses.
