Police report, body cam footage: What prompted police response in Belmar surfer incident?

BELMAR - The confrontation between a surfer and police last week stemmed from recent gate attendant complaints that surfers were ignoring their requests to show their badges, according to police reports.

Beach gate attendants have complained of multiple surfers entering through the dunes and ignoring attendants' requests to show their beach badges, according to police documents. Because of this, the borough’s special police officers were stationed at the 17th through 19th Avenue beach to help attendants check for badges, the report said.

In the arrest report of the surfer, 28-year-old Liam Mahoney of Junction City, California, the involved special police officer, Ryan Braswell, said that Mahoney did not have a beach badge. From there, the interaction spiraled.

Mahoney’s arrest sparked an outcry in the surfing community, many of whom questioned the arrest and the need for a beach badge on social media. It also prompted a petition drive on change.org seeking to “decriminalize beach access, ” which had garnered more than 1,400 signatures since it was posted on Aug. 23.

Amanda X. Brock, a surfer from Tinton Falls, said she felt Braswell had been specifically targeting surfers on that day. The officer came up to her after a beach badge checker had already inspected her badge that afternoon, she said. Brock said her interaction with the officer happened before the incident with Mahoney.

Brock said she was wearing headphones when Braswell approached her and waved to get her attention. She took off her headphones and he asked to see her badge.

She indicated it was pinned to a hat she had with her. However, Braswell explained to her that the badge needed to be displayed on her person at all times while she was on the beach, in order for her to be in compliance with the borough ordinance, she said.

He said to her, “I just need you to know if you take your hat off, you’re subject to a summons,” Brock said the officer told her. “And I just gave him this look.”

Braswell said in the police report that Mahoney told him that because he was surfing, "he did not need a beach badge as access to the beach is free if you surf."

"I told him that the law I believed he was referring to was that access cannot be denied to the beachfront or water, and explained to him that Belmar does not have any obstacles or fences impeding his travel along its beachline so that he cannot access the beach," Braswell claimed in his report.

Braswell said he then explained to Mahoney that under Title 40 of New Jersey Law, they can be charged in order to enter the beach.

"I told him that there are several beach towns in [New Jersey] that are free, but Belmar was not one of them," Braswell said.

The officer told Mahoney he would be issued a ticket for not having a beach badge and asked him for identification or to provide his name. Mahoney said he didn't need a badge, and began to walk away before Braswell told him he was not free to leave and would be detained if he continued walking, according to the arrest report.

After another similar discussion, the surfer declined to provide his personal information and walked away from the officer.

When Mahoney did not stop, Braswell decided he would be arrested for obstruction of justice and for not possessing/displaying a beach badge, he said in his report. At the stairs of the 19th Avenue beach entrance, Braswell told Mahoney he was under arrest.

As Braswell attempted to handcuff Mahoney, an "unknown female" — who Brock said was Mahoney’s sister — approached them and began yelling and attempting to interfere in the arrest, the report said.

At this point in the interaction, the body camera footage shows Mahoney and the woman saying that he has a beach badge. Braswell did not note this in his report, though he said that he viewed the footage prior to completing the report.

"I noticed a crowd beginning to approach me as well and I made the determination to take the subject to the ground to complete the handcuffing process," Braswell said in his report. "I was able to takedown the subject on the sand, and when on the sand, he continued to resist and struggle for a few moments still preventing me from handcuffing him."

In the body camera footage, Mahoney can be heard asking the officer to loosen the cuffs while he is being walked to the police car.

In the report, Braswell notes that Mahoney was transported to headquarters and processed without incident. Mahoney was charged with disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice, resisting arrest and beach badge violations.

He was released on his own recognizance.

Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; jcalderon@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Police report, body cam footage: What prompted police response in Belmar surfer incident?