North Beach Chaos Spreads Across Dewey during Bar Rush

Dewey Beach police had a mess to contend with early Sunday as officers struggled to stop numerous fights that broke out across town. Sgt. Clifford Dempsey, police spokesman, says it appeared to have started around 1 a.m. as “bar rush” began in the North Beach parking lot. That is where officers attempted to control an altercation that spread into the Ivy parking lot where arrests were eventually made.

Meanwhile, patrons leaving North Beach quickly flooded the parking lot and adjacent streets where more fights erupted. Several of the revelers headed for the parking lot on the corner of Dagsworthy Street and Coastal Highway and continued brawling along the way. Here was the view from the DelDOT traffic camera shortly after additional police arrived to contain the chaos (the parking lot is on the far left side).

Dewey police had radioed for assistance as officers were quickly overwhelmed. State troopers, Rehoboth Beach police and DNREC park rangers were among those who came to help. “It’s a mess down here,” one officer stated over the radio around 1:23 a.m. “We need some people. There’s fights everywhere!” The additional officers got the situation under control within minutes. Police arrested a total of three men and a woman.