A Wrightsville Beach pier is now closed overnight. Here's why.

Johnny Clover pulled his rain jacket tighter around him and sat down at the end of the Crystal Pier, fishing rod in hand, as the wind whipped around his head above and the surf crashed into the structure's pilings below on a blustery Wednesday afternoon.

The Ohio native said he liked coming to the Wrightsville Beach landmark to try his luck at landing some supper because it was generally quiet − and free.

"I especially like coming at night," Clover said, adding that he generally visits the pier every time he visits the N.C. coast. "It's just so peaceful."

But those days appear to be over, at least for now.

In late June vandals struck the public pier, which is shared by the Oceanic at Crystal Pier restaurant, which owns and maintains the entire structure.

Some time after the restaurant closed at 10 p.m. and staff had gone home, the vandals piled up some chairs in a heap near the end of the pier. Some of the chairs were broken, while others were tossed into the ocean. Dead fish also were left on the pier.

"They basically vandalized the restaurant," said Katherine Goldfaden, spokesperson for Raleigh-based LM Restaurants, which owns the Oceanic. "It was purely malicious, and we had to replace several chairs."

The vandalism resulted in the restaurant filing a police report with the Wrightsville Beach Police Department. That, in turn, has prompted the department to step up its patrols of the pier at night, and that has riled some members of the New Hanover County beach town community.

"We share in the community's frustration and disappointment," Goldfaden said.

Technically, the public part of the pier is closed from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. A sign clearly displays that information, but Goldfaden said the Oceanic hasn't really enforced the closure since the pier was rebuilt and reopened with the public section nearly a decade ago. Further rehabilitation work was done after the pier and restaurant were damaged by Hurricane Florence in 2018.

"We know how important this pier is to the community, and that's why we restored it and wanted to keep it open for the enjoyment of everyone," she said, noting that fishermen and some groups, like local yoga classes who hold get-togethers early in the morning, have used the pier for years with almost no problems.

PHOTOS:Oceanic reopens after Florence

'It's a shame'

The stepped-up patrols by the Wrightsville Beach police, which Goldfaden said the restaurant didn't ask for, have caught some community members by surprise.

Several Facebook group pages are filled with comments by frustrated pier regulars, who suddenly are finding themselves facing a trespassing fine for visiting a place they've been coming to for years.

Reached by phone, Capt. Jason Bishop, the interim Wrightsville Beach police chief, declined to comment.

While the police actions are out of their hands, Goldfaden said the Oceanic doesn't intend to rope or gate off the pier after hours. The restaurant also will continue to clean and maintain the entire structure.

But she added that safety of all restaurant employees and pier patrons has to come first.

“It’s pointless and senseless, which is likely the majority of any vandalism that would happen on the beach," Goldfaden said. "But because the pier is open to the public, you certainly wouldn't want someone to walk upon it or get injured.

"It's a shame that just a few can ruin it for the rest of us."

Back at the end of the windswept pier, Clover was still waiting for a bite.

Even if he didn't catch anything, Clover said he loved visiting the pier and just staring out at the ocean and watching the waves crash ashore.

"I hope we can all respect and share what we have here," he said. "It would be a shame if it had to go away."

Reporter Gareth McGrath can be reached at GMcGrath@Gannett.com or @GarethMcGrathSN on X/Twitter. This story was produced with financial support from the Green South Foundation and the Prentice Foundation. The USA TODAY Network maintains full editorial control of the work.