Silver Beach closed due to Memorial Day fight
ST. JOSEPH, Mich - The Memorial Day holiday ended with a series of fights that broke out near a concession stand at Silver Beach, forcing police to clear everyone out and close parts of the park early.
“I think it is a little bit worrying going to the beach knowing there's a huge fight breaking out,” said Camron Preciado, a beachgoer and resident of the area.
At around 7:25 p.m. on Memorial Day, a large disturbance unfolded among beachgoers on the north end of Silver Beach near the concession stands.
The situation escalated quickly into multiple fights with police and park rangers clearing people out and shutting down part of the park.
With summer beach season now getting into full swing, some residents, like 18-year-old Stella Rosenbaum, are worried about their own safety.
“And honestly, my parents were really concerned for me and telling me to come home and it’s just unusual and I do feel a little more unsafe and a little worried about it cause our town is such a peaceful beach town,” said Rosenbaum.
Will Wertheimer frequents Silver Beach too and he’s worried about getting caught up in any kind of violence.
“You know I'm not the buffest man out there, so I don’t know if I can defend myself, so you know that’s my primary concern,” he said.
This is not the first time fights have broken out at Silver Beach: a massive brawl broke out back in 2018 on Memorial Day weekend.
There were also gunshots fired there on Memorial Day in 2016.
Jill Adams, Berrien County Parks Director, said there are protocols in place to deal with huge crowds and potential violence.
“And we then also have response teams and cameras in place that we can follow up and do some investigating after the fact as well so prevention is absolutely the best way to go about it, but we do have some follow-up options as well to hold these people accountable,” said Adams.
The Berrien County Sheriff confirmed one person was arrested after the brawl and they are still determining if anyone else will be charged.