Popular beach forced to close during peak summer after dozens of SYRINGES wash up ashore

Published: 00:42, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 00:49, 24 August 2026 A popular New Jersey beach was temporarily shut down after more than 60 syringes washed up ashore. Manasquan Beach was closed to swimmers Saturday after a beachgoer found five needles on the shore, Mayor Michael Mangan said.  The beach remained open while officials prohibited swimming and swept the area for additional needles.  During the search, crews recovered dozens of syringes and notified county health officials. The sweep focused solely on the southern end of the beach, leaving the northern stretch untouched. 'Manasquan OEM, Monmouth County Health Department, and the New Jersey DEP are managing a debris incident involving 60+ syringes washing ashore,' officials said in a Facebook statement. Officials did not disclose where the needles came from or how they ended up washing ashore. After monitoring the beach through two high-tide cycles early Sunday morning, officials reopened the water to swimmers. Daily Mail reached out to the Monmouth County Health Department for comment.  Manasquan Beach temporarily shutdown after more than 60 syringes washed up ashore The sweep focused solely on the southern end of the beach, leaving the northern stretch untouched The town’s year-round population of roughly 6,000 swells to hundreds of thousands of visitors during the summer The town’s year-round population of roughly 6,000 swells to hundreds of thousands of visitors during the summer, as crowds flock to its popular beach. This isn't the first bizarre incident to hit the Jersey Shore. In 2021, medical waste and syringes washed ashore at Ocean Beach, prompting officials to close several beaches. Officials told ABC7 at the time that home-use, diabetic-type syringes had washed up along the shoreline, forcing them to shut down the affected beaches. New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said home-use syringes can end up in sewer systems when flushed down toilets, while heavy rain can overwhelm combined sewer systems, sending debris spilling into nearby waterways. 'If folks are flushing needles down the toilet, they end up in the New York-New Jersey Harbor,' LaTourette told the outlet. 'And then out into the ocean, and then the winds push them onto the beaches,' he added. He also pushed back on the common misconception that the syringes are the result of illegal dumping.