What a disappointment.
Police officers on the New Jersey coast choked a surfer and threw him to the ground because he allegedly did not have a beach access card attached to his wetsuit – even though it was attached to his bag, according to a witness and wild footage.
Things got heated when 28-year-old Liam Mahoney of Junction City, California, was stopped by police at Belmar Beach on Tuesday and claimed, “I got a badge on me, brother!”, according to a video of the incident.
As the conversation becomes more tense, a woman in a bikini is heard shouting, “His badge is here!” and “Why are you arresting him?”
“Why are you going to get ten more police officers and another police car?” she shouts defiantly.
Mahoney then tells police that there is a beach pass in his pocket – but as he apparently tries to escape from the officers, a police officer puts him in a chokehold and throws him face down in the sand, as the video shows.
The disturbing arrest occurred, footage shows, as beachgoers – including several children and a toddler in a stroller – watched near a beach path.
A bystander can be heard shouting, “Get off him!” as police push the surfer to the ground. A second observer shouts that the scuffle is scaring children.
Mahoney was then led away in handcuffs by at least four police officers.
“A local surfer was arrested at Belmar Beach on 19th Avenue for not wearing a beach badge on his wetsuit, even though the badge was attached to his beach bag,” witness Austin Downs wrote in a Facebook post above footage of the incident. “During the arrest, officers placed him in a chokehold and threw him to the ground.”
It was not clear what happened immediately before or after the camera was launched.
Belmar Police Chief Tina Scott told the Asbury Park Press that the police department was aware of the video circulating on social media and said Mahoney was charged with disturbing the peace, resisting justice and obstruction of justice.
The surfer was also ticketed for not having a $12 beach pass, which is required to access the shore at some New Jersey beaches.
“The circumstances of the arrest will be thoroughly reviewed in accordance with established New Jersey Attorney General policies,” Scott said.
The Surfrider Foundation at Jersey Shore University called the arrest a “disturbing incident” but stopped short of accusing the police officers of misconduct.
“Because we do not have information about the events that led to the video clip and why police were initially called, we cannot comment on the specifics of this individual situation,” the group said in a statement.
“However, we continue to monitor the incident and call on Belmar officials to conduct an appropriate public debriefing to provide clarity on the incident and the authorities’ response.”
The group believes that “surfing is not a crime” and that beaches are “public resources that should be open, free, welcoming and safe to all people.”
At Belmar beaches, passes are required from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
Scott did not immediately return a call from The Post on Thursday.
