New N.J. Ordinance Could Mean Fines, Jail for Parents of Kids who Break Certain Laws

Gloucester Township's ordinance, prompted in part by minors brawling at a 2024 event that injured three police officers, imposes fines of up to $2,000 and the possibility of jail time for parents and guardians of kids who continuously commit offenses.

By Eric Conklin

Source nj.com

Aug. 15, 2025

2 min read

What to know

Gloucester Township passed an ordinance allowing penalties of fines up to $2,000 and 90 days in jail for parents or guardians whose children repeatedly commit offenses.
The law covers 28 offenses, including felonies, curfew violations, truancy, disorderly conduct and associating with “immoral” individuals.
The measure follows violent incidents such as last year’s Gloucester Township Day brawl involving 500 minors that injured three police officers.

Gloucester Township's Ordinance, Prompted In Part By Minors Brawling At A 2024 Event That Injured Three Police Officers, Imposes Fines Of Up To $2,000 And The Possibility Of Jail Time For Parents And Guardians Of Kids Who Continuously Commit Offenses

A South Jersey town plans to hold parents or guardians criminally liable for children who break the law.

Gloucester Township enacted a new ordinance on July 28 that imposes maximum fines of $2,000, plus the possibility of up to 90 days in jail, for adults whose children continuously commit unruly acts.

The ordinance includes 28 offenses that could make caretakers liable. They range from felonies, loitering, breaking curfew and chronic truancy to immorality, habitual vagrancy and knowingly associating with immoral people.

Police Chief David Harkins said the new law covers disorderly conduct overall, calling it “general legal language. Parents will first be warned instead being assessed fines, he said.

“Our ordinance was actually sampled from other towns,” Harkins said. “We’re not necessarily the first, but we’re probably the first bigger town to adopt it.”

The ordinance comes as the township has grappled with a trend of teens and juveniles instigating fights, damaging property and committing other offenses.

Last year, the annual Gloucester Township Day, a carnival-like event that draws families to Veterans Park, was marred by more than 500 minors who gathered around the time of the inaugural drone show portion of the event. Violence flared when the crowd instigated a large brawl, which eventually drifted into a nearby shopping plaza. Nine teens were among 11 arrested, and three police officers trying to curtail the violence were injured.

The event was postponed this year after posts to social media suggested similar behavior was being planned again. Township officials have examined the event’s future in light of the violence.

Disruptive crowds of juveniles have appeared in public places across the state, including at the Jersey Shore. Wildwood, one of the towns that contended with unruly children last year, instituted a policy similar to Gloucester Township’s ordinance this summer, making parents prone to fines of up to $1,000 for their child’s misbehavior.

Gov. Phil Murphy went as far as to sign a new law to punish people suspected of instigating a public brawl after the bipartisan bill cleared the statehouse earlier this year.

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