N.J. shore town makes bars close by midnight

Bars in the Jersey shore town Point Pleasant Beach will have to close at midnight starting in July under an ordinance approved by the borough council.

But a separate measure that would permit the bars to continue to stay open until 2 a.m. if they pay an extra fee aimed at funding additional police patrols was postponed Tuesday night.

The council approved the early closure in response to complaints from residents about bar patrons returning to their cars in the early morning hours with screaming, fighting and damaging property.

The restrictions take effect July 1.

The boardwalk bars had offered $800,000 over five years to help pay for police patrols. But their lawsuit against parking restrictions near beachfront bars didn’t sit well with the council.