{"id":3896,"date":"2026-07-06T14:38:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T14:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3896"},"modified":"2026-07-06T14:38:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T14:38:45","slug":"400-arrested-fireworks-hurled-at-crowds-police-in-chaotic-july-4th-in-newport-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3896","title":{"rendered":"400 arrested, fireworks hurled at crowds, police in chaotic July 4th in Newport Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>A July 4th celebration that drew thousands of people to the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach for the holiday weekend erupted in chaos on Saturday evening as fights broke out, fireworks were hurled at police officers and more than 400 people were arrested, authorities said.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3894\">Popular North Bay farm exits egg business amid hard times for small farms<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Young adults and minors threw explosive mortars, fireworks and other projectiles at crowds and law enforcement officers, blocked roadways and restricted emergency vehicle access, the city said in a statement on Sunday. A police officer who was struck by a mortar was treated at the scene.<\/p>\n<p>Video shows police on horseback charging into a crowd on the beach to break up unruly revelers. Some people threw punches at other partygoers. A nearby Pavilions supermarket on West Balboa Boulevard was ransacked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe situation escalated and police issued a \u201c999\u201d \u2014 an officer needs help call \u2014 prompting at least a hundred officers from surrounding agencies to converge on the location,\u201d County News Service, a freelance videographer, reported.<\/p>\n<p>Some 17 law enforcement agencies assisted 350 Newport Beach police officers, the city said on Sunday. Police made 402 arrests between midnight July 3 and 6 a.m. July 5.<\/p>\n<p>An unlawful assembly was declared Saturday around 8:30 p.m., and residents were asked to shelter in place.<\/p>\n<p>The Newport Beach Police Association blamed a post on social media for starting the trouble.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA large group of agitators invaded Newport Beach, spurred on by an alleged \u2018TikTok Takeover,\u2019 \u201d the association posted on Facebook on Sunday. \u201cThese persons came to our city with the intent on causing harm, injury, and destruction, bringing harassment, disturbances, and mayhem.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>While she didn\u2019t point to specific posts on TikTok or elsewhere, Newport Beach Mayor Lauren Kleiman said social media played a major role in inciting the chaos Saturday night, as videos of young people lighting fireworks and engaging in unruly behavior drew more of them to Newport Beach. The number of people on the peninsula had tripled by about 9 p.m., she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLate in the evening, social media posts drew a large influx of juveniles and young adults to the Newport Pier area within a matter of minutes,\u201d the Newport Beach Police Department posted on Facebook on Sunday. \u201cAs the crowd quickly grew into the thousands, dangerous and unlawful behavior escalated, blocking roadways, preventing emergency access and putting families, visitors and first responders at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Residents on Sunday said authorities began closing down the beach from 22nd Street to 36th Street on Saturday at 3 p.m., as crowds descended on the Pavilions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was absolutely potentially a volatile situation, \u201d Robert Burgeson said. \u201cAnd it only got worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Burgeson was in a golf cart with his son-in-law, Chris Schott, at 3 p.m. to pick up last-minute holiday supplies at the supermarket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere were probably 1,000 teens and young adults cramming the area,\u201d he said.\u201cI couldn\u2019t even get out of the parking lot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3892\">Did Cupertino squirrel suddenly grow a conscience?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Later, a Reddit poster wrote, \u201cNewport (Peninsula) had a literal riot and the entire place is locked down with more cops than I knew existed, most insane I\u2019ve ever seen down here. No one can come or go right now, it\u2019s all shut down. Cops are out in riot gear and they had to call other cities to help.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had to drive through a checkpoint with heavily armed police to get home, I don\u2019t know how it got so out of control but it\u2019s gridlocked right now,\u201d the poster said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis explains a lot,\u201d another person wrote. \u201cI was doing Uber and was getting insane surges from that area, and wasn\u2019t even remotely close.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert White, 60, has lived in the area his whole life. \u201cThis happens every year, only smaller, \u201d he told a reporter on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>There were \u201ccrazy, mass\u201d crowds on the boardwalks and beach near 26th Street, White said.<\/p>\n<p>He went back home around 3 p.m. on Saturday, he said, and could hear helicopters circling and police officers instructing people to leave the beach.<\/p>\n<p>The 400 arrests included 200 people who remained near 28th Street after repeatedly refusing dispersal orders, the city said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose responsible for inciting the crowd, engaging in violent and criminal behavior and threatening public safety were taken into custody and will be held accountable,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n<p>After past troubles with partying and disruptive behavior in areas of the city popular with vacationers, Newport Beach city leaders had instituted new rules and restrictions for \u201cspecial enforcement zones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over spring break in 2025, some 500 people were arrested, and last year\u2019s July 4th holiday saw 76 arrests.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, the council approved stricter enforcement and upped the fines for violations in hot spots including the Balboa Peninsula, West Newport and Corona Del Mar to discourage bad behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said at the time a lot of vacation rentals were being used for house parties. The new rules also included stricter conditions for short-term rentals.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3890\">Man fatally punched on Brooklyn street in clash with stranger who disrespected wife<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>City News Service contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Newport Beach Police Association blamed an &#8216;alleged TikTok takeover&#8217; post for leading to mayhem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>400 arrested, fireworks hurled at crowds, police in chaotic July 4th in Newport Beach - 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