Tuesday, 28 July 2026, 11:09
A Fourth of July celebration in Newport Beach, California, spiraled into widespread disorder, with over 400 arrests, street fights, illegal fireworks, and looting at a local grocery store. The chaos, which unfolded over 36 hours, prompted a heavy police response, including mounted officers and support from multiple agencies.
Police were first called to the Newport Peninsula around 7 p.m. on July 4 after large crowds began lighting fireworks and fighting. Videos shared on social media showed aerial fireworks launched at close range, individuals throwing fireworks into crowds, and a person in a Spider-Man mask climbing a traffic light while leading chants of 'USA.' The situation escalated when a nearby Pavilions grocery store on West Balboa Boulevard was ransacked, with footage showing people carrying broken street signs and looting. Police later clarified that the inside of the store was not accessed; only the outside display was destroyed. Albertsons, the company that owns the Pavilions grocery store, confirmed to Fox News Digital that the interior was secured and all associates remained safe, with the store reopening the next morning.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Newport Beach Police Association blamed 'an alleged TikTok takeover' for the mayhem. The Orange County Register reported that police issued a '999' emergency call—indicating an officer needed help—prompting at least 100 officers from surrounding agencies to converge. Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Noam Blom told the Register that hundreds were arrested, though he did not provide a specific number. ABC7 reported at least 100 arrests, while the Los Angeles Times confirmed over 400 arrests within 36 hours.
One officer was injured when a mortar-style firework was thrown at him, sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. Police on horseback charged into the crowd to disperse revelers, as seen in videos from the scene.
Deputy Chief of Police Joshua Vincelet told the Daily Pilot that a large unruly crowd of close to 3,000 people was fighting and causing massive disruption from 29th Street to 35th Street. It took nearly two hours for a large contingent of officers to clear the beach and restore order. NBPD spokesperson Heather Rangel confirmed that a fight broke out on 32nd Street and a crowd had to be dispersed. By Sunday morning, more than 400 people had been taken into police custody — a 570% increase from 2025 — with about half being people who remained on the Peninsula after police issued a dispersal order, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Joe DeJulio, president of the Newport Beach Police Association, in a message Sunday applauded the efforts of local law enforcement agencies for responding to the incident and blaming the disorder on 'a large group of agitators invaded Newport Beach, spurred on by an alleged TikTok Takeover.' 'These persons came to our city with the intent on causing harm, injury, and destruction, bringing harassment, disturbances and mayhem,' DeJulio wrote.
At 8:25 p.m. NBPD sent alerts to residents via Newport Notified stating that, 'Due to large unruly crowds in the area of 26th street and the beach an unlawful assembly has been placed. All residents are asked to shelter in place until further notice.' By 10 p.m., crowds spooled out of control at Pavilions grocery store parking lot on West Balboa Boulevard. A second alert issued by police at 10:50 p.m. advised residents all beaches had been closed and officers were actively clearing traffic from the Peninsula.
Mayor Lauren Kleiman told CBS LA that beach and pier areas were cleared at 7:30 p.m. as fights became unruly. Activity ramped up around 9 p.m., requiring outside law enforcement agencies to assist the Newport Beach Police Department, which had deployed more than 350 officers. Aerial images showed the crowd around 10:20 p.m., with at least one person loaded into an ambulance. Another social media video showed a large crowd running from NBPD officers on horseback. 'It was going crazy,' said Rylan Liegeois, who was on the beach. 'Fireworks were going everywhere. You couldn't even walk.'
Police said the crowd began to swarm the area near the Newport Beach Pier, forming a skirmish line and instructing attendees to return home. 'A lot of ruckus everywhere. Lots of police officers, fireworks going off,' said Natalie McCarthy. People engaged in dangerous behavior, including blocking roadways, restricting emergency vehicles, and throwing mortars and fireworks towards police and crowds. One NBPD officer was struck by a mortar firework but is said to be OK, Kleiman said. Crowds destroyed property and landscapes at the Pavilions grocery store, with video showing smashed watermelons and cases of soda in the street. 'It just kinda ruined what was supposed to be a fun night,' said Lorna Stevens, who was taken into custody. 'They put us in zip ties, they split up boys and girls and then they put us in a van.'
In all, Newport Beach firefighters responded to more than 100 emergency incidents, including 10 fires, and took 44 people to local hospitals. Officers said a majority of the 402 people arrested were not from Orange County, half of whom were young, most from Arizona and Nevada. 'Everyone just comes down here for the Fourth to hang out but this year it got way too crazy,' said 18-year-old visitor Grace Johnson from Scottsdale, who noted teens from Arizona hang out in short-term rentals. 'There's houses everywhere,' she said. 'We probably have a house on every street that you could go to.'
Newport Beach, a coastal city in Orange County, has faced similar disruptions in recent years. During spring break 2025, approximately 500 people were arrested, and the 2025 July 4 holiday saw 76 arrests. In response, the city council earlier this year approved stricter enforcement and higher fines in 'special enforcement zones' covering the Balboa Peninsula, West Newport, and Corona Del Mar, targeting vacation rentals used for house parties. The 'Not in Newport' campaign, launched this summer, emphasized zero tolerance for public intoxication, illegal fireworks, and rowdy behavior, with fines tripled through July 6 in designated safety enhancement zones.
Mayor Lauren Kleiman noted that many arrestees were minors or individuals from outside Newport Beach, with social media amplifying the influx. 'The last couple of years we’ve definitely seen an uptick, in particular kids from out of state,' she told the Los Angeles Times.
Newport Beach has a history of large, rowdy gatherings during holidays, often fueled by short-term rentals and social media promotion. The city's new rules include a one-strike revocation policy for short-term rental permit holders whose tenants violate public safety laws during enforcement periods. This follows a pattern of disruptive behavior that officials have struggled to contain, with previous incidents leading to mass arrests and calls for stricter oversight.
The July 4 chaos in Newport Beach underscores ongoing challenges in managing large, social-media-driven crowds during holiday celebrations. With over 400 arrests, injuries to officers, and property damage, city leaders have pledged a full review of security measures. Residents and volunteers have stepped up to clean the beaches, but the incident raises questions about enforcement and prevention in popular tourist destinations.
On Sunday morning, the city's public works team and some neighbors gathered to help clean the mess left behind. Kleiman said city leaders would meet in the coming days to ensure similar instances do not happen again. Late Sunday, a Newport Beach City Councilmember shared a statement with CBS LA, noting the city had 'moved steadily away from the 'warzone' days' from decades ago. 'Yesterday met those expectations until chaos erupted on a section of the Peninsula after a rapidly growing crowd near Newport Pier threatened public safety after TikTok social media posts drew thousands to the area,' the statement said. 'A large group of bad actors ended our celebrations on a sour note and left our residents fearing for their safety.' The statement emphasized the importance of addressing social media's role: 'The fact that it happened, though, needs to be addressed by our City Council. What we experienced is not the standard that Newport Beach should accept. ... We can do better. We will do better.'
The Newport Beach fire department responded to 102 emergency incidents that Saturday, including 10 fires. The department also took 44 patients to local hospitals, including six trauma patients. The city said that the police response was part of “months of planning and preparation”, deploying 17 regional law enforcement agencies and more than 350 officers from the Newport Beach police department during Saturday’s mayhem.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the majority of the people arrested were not residents of Newport Beach. Logs showed that the people arrested were from Arizona, Nevada or other areas of California. The ages of the arrestees ranged from 15 to 25, according to NBC LA.
In a statement, Kleiman added: “Saturday’s examples of disrespect and destruction in our city were scary, saddening and totally unacceptable. This was an attack on our community and we will do whatever it takes to ensure it never happens again.”
“Takeovers” or mass gatherings starting online seem to be gaining traction, with authorities warning of violence stemming from recent incidents, including the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man during a “teen takeover” in Pensacola, Florida, over the weekend. Also, in Chicago, seven people were injured in two shootings over the weekend following a “teen takeover”. The trend has led the US attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, to “increase enforcement of existing laws addressing parental responsibility when minors engage in criminal conduct in the District” in May. “Teen takeovers have disrupted neighborhoods, forced businesses to close temporarily, and diverted valuable law enforcement resources from the residents of the District,” Pirro said in a statement. “Law abiding taxpayers should not subsidize chaos caused by parental neglect. Parents do your job, or we will do ours.”
New data from Newport Beach police shows that more than half of those cited were from out of state, with the majority from Arizona. Charges ranged from alcohol and firework-related offenses to disorderly conduct and resisting police. Police arrested or cited 353 people; of those, 161 were from California, and the rest were from out of state. Detainees came from as far away as the Netherlands and Ontario, Canada. In total, 145 were from Arizona, and the youngest was just 13 years old. Police say 37 people were arrested in the peninsula chaos, 25 of them juveniles—10 of whom are from Arizona. Only 10 people cited or arrested during the chaos were from Newport Beach, according to police. The arrest and citation numbers are still preliminary.
The chaos also impacted local business owners. Mario Marovic, who owns several businesses on the Balboa Peninsula including Malarky's Irish Pub and Stag Bar, said that around 8:45 p.m. police asked him to stop letting customers in, and then to close entirely. Photos show damage from a firework that struck a gas meter at one of his buildings.
Police released photos of the chaos, showing fireworks exploding close to the ground in a large group of people. Throughout the day, July 4th celebrations drew thousands of visitors to Newport Beach, and late in the evening, social media posts drew a large influx of young people to the Newport Pier area within a short period of time. Newport Beach police say when the large number of juveniles and young adults swarmed the area, things quickly spiraled out of control — with fireworks, blocked roads, fights and a Pavilions grocery store looted. Police say some people launched fireworks into crowds and directly at police officers. One officer was reportedly hit by a mortar. Following an unlawful assembly declaration, more than 350 officers from the Newport Beach Police Department and 17 regional law enforcement agencies worked together to clear the area, disperse the crowd, restore emergency access and protect residents and visitors.
During the same period of midnight July 3 through 6 a.m. July 5 in 2025, officers in Newport Beach reportedly arrested only 60 people, compared to the 402 who were arrested this year. Approximately 200 of the people who were arrested this weekend remained near 28th Street after repeatedly refusing lawful dispersal orders, according to police.
City Manager Seimone Jurjis said he spent Monday morning, July 6, looking at the reports from the Saturday mayhem authorities responded to on the Balboa Peninsula, where officials say large groups of young people — mostly ages 15 to 25 — refused to listen to police orders to disperse. Of the 400 people arrested, Jurjis said it appears a large majority were visiting from Arizona, though he added that isn’t to say there weren’t people from Southern California. Details from the weekend were still being processed Monday, just a day and a half after the unrest, he said.
Now city officials will be reviewing their response, Jurjis said, considering their own messaging, the impact of social media influencers and next steps, which will be discussed next week at the City Council meeting. “We need to assess what is working, what doesn’t work, and how do we continue to improve as we go forward,” Jurjis said. Among the next steps, he said, will likely be reaching out to the governor of Arizona and, if necessary, to some of the Arizona universities, if there is a link indicating that those arrested are students there.
Part of what is prompting interest in Newport Beach, Jurjis said he believes, is social media influencers who visit and draw others to the area, but he added that he and others at the city are doing “mental gymnastics” to figure out exactly what is spurring the influx to Newport Beach. “Is it the taunting of ‘Not in Newport,’” he said, referencing a recent campaign by Mayor Lauren Kleiman on the city’s Instagram account, asking the public for good and polite behavior. “Newport is one city, but there are thousands of social media influencers out there. You have all the influencers that are influencing the kids to come to Newport Beach and you have people that are here from Newport Beach, from Arizona, that are streaming on TikTok to come to certain parts of the beach,” Jurjis said. “That’s where we need to focus our attention and not whether our ‘Not in Newport Beach’ campaign is reverse psychology or is taunting.” “We’ve created a beautiful town for beaches, we upkeep it, there’s an affluent lifestyle to Newport Beach, and social media influencers are going around talking ‘Go to Newport Beach to have your party,’” he added. “That’s what’s driving a lot of this. Phoenix is hot, and it’s rough there. That’s what we had during Spring Break. There wasn’t a lot of snow in the mountains, and there was hot weather in Arizona and Nevada, and you didn’t have that influx into Mexico.”
Zach Zaiden, 24, of Huntington Beach, was among those who posted on TikTok about going to Newport Beach on the Fourth of July. “I am fired up for the Fourth tomorrow,” he says in the video, taken at Angel Stadium. “See you all in Newport tomorrow,” a friend says. On Monday, Zaiden said he did go to Newport Beach during the holiday and was caught in what he called “absolute chaos” as he, his sister and a friend attempted to ride their bicycles back home to Huntington Beach. He did not go to Newport Beach for the gathering that drew hundreds of officers from around Orange County, he said. “We just saw a bunch of people posting about going to Newport Beach,” he said of their video. “Being a local to this area, we just thought it was funny.” Plenty of videos had been popping up on his feed, he said. Zaiden went to a friend’s house party on 33rd Street, then about 2 a.m. they decided to head home.
Emily Alcala, 18, who traveled from Las Vegas to Newport and stayed with family nearby, described the scene as terrorizing. “It’s very unsafe to have fireworks popped in the middle of crowds,” Alcala said. “There was a firework to your left, [then] you run to your right and there was a firework [there]. It was very chaotic. There was no way that you could go that was safe at all.”
Mia Meyers, 19, was closing up shop at Sancho’s Tacos, which is located near Pavilions, around 5 p.m. when she witnessed swarms of people pounding on the business’ windows. “There was just a lot of chaos with underage drinking and yelling at the workers, including myself,” Meyers said. By Sunday, local volunteers had taken to the beach to help clean up the remnants of the night before. “I only saw that one video of the [Pavilions] parking lot. Thankfully, all of the locals around here helped pick up,” Meyers said. “All of the people that live around here like to keep Newport [Beach] a clean and beautiful environment, so they all worked together to help pick it up. When I came here this morning to work, I didn’t see any of it.”
New data from Newport Beach police shows that nearly 440 people were arrested, mostly from out of state, including Arizona and Nevada. The detainees were from as far away as the Netherlands and Ontario, Canada. In total, 145 of them were from Arizona, and the youngest was just 13 years old. Police say 37 people were arrested in the peninsula chaos, 25 of them juveniles—10 of whom are from Arizona. Only 10 people cited or arrested during the chaos were from Newport Beach, according to police. The arrest and citation numbers are still preliminary.
Local business owners reported significant impacts. Mario Marovic, who owns several businesses on the Balboa Peninsula including Malarky's Irish Pub and Stag Bar, said that around 8:45 p.m. police asked him to stop letting customers in, and then to close entirely. Photos show damage from a firework that struck a gas meter at one of his buildings. For Brad Barton, the owner of the NWPRT Brand, he shut his store on 22nd Street down before 3 p.m. "There were mortars, there were, I want to say a thousand, maybe more, kids or young adults that were in this vicinity, and it was pretty scary," Barton said. "It was definitely a day that I won't forget anytime soon."
According to the Newport Beach Police Department, 402 people were arrested from 6 p.m. Friday, July 3, through 6 a.m. Sunday, July 5 — mainly for refusing to leave once an unlawful assembly was declared. About half of the arrests were made during a single incident in the Balboa Peninsula. During the same time period last year, Newport Beach police said just 60 arrests were made. "We think that a vast majority of these people came to Newport Beach from out of state, Arizona and Nevada being the two main locations. A lot of the people that were arrested were young adults or juveniles, so we do implore that parents who are sending their kids to other states to celebrate summer or spring break, that they have them celebrate responsibly, and preferably be there with their children," said Lt. Eric Little with Newport Beach Police.
Witnesses described the scene as terrifying. "There were so many people crowding police when they had to take action. It was overwhelming. The anxiety that everybody was feeling around here was seriously intense," said James, who was vacationing in Newport Beach. "Fireworks being thrown in the middle of crowds. Fireworks being thrown in the middle of the police. Fireworks being set off in front of people's homes, under their cars. You've got kids ranging from babies up to early teenagers, and you're worried for their safety because you never know what's going to happen. The parents were very much on edge." Tamara Swindle-Warfield, also vacationing in the area, said, "It was bad on the 4th just to not be able to leave our house. They eventually told us to shelter in place. We couldn't go out to eat. Couldn't go out the front, the back, stuff like that. So that was a bummer."
One Newport Beach city councilman said this is not the standard that the city should accept, and he will work with public safety to prevent a repeat.
Newport Beach Police Chief Dave Miner said, "Our officers remained focused on one priority throughout the evening, protecting our community and restoring public safety," noting that extensive pre-planning allowed mutual aid partners to respond quickly to a dangerous situation. In a statement posted to Instagram, Newport Beach Police Association President Joe DeJulio commended the bravery of the department. "I stand by our officers and applaud their work during incredibly dynamic circumstances where in many cases they were outnumbered over 500 to 1," DeJulio said, adding that "agitators invaded Newport Beach... with the intent on causing harm, injury and destruction."
In response to the weekend's events, local residents are heavily advocating for the reinstatement of past holiday crackdowns, including strict curfews, safety enforcement zones, and checkpoints to block non-residents from entering the peninsula during major holidays. The City of Newport Beach has stated it will continue to evaluate its holiday enforcement metrics alongside regional law enforcement partners, business owners, and residents. A public meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Newport Beach City Hall for residents and community stakeholders to voice their concerns and suggestions directly to local leaders.
The Balboa Peninsula has a long and sometimes infamous history as a party beach. A generation ago, drunken summers of house parties and spontaneous gatherings earned it the nicknames “Zooport” and “the war zone.” It was here where NBA star Dennis Rodman threw weekend-long blowouts in the early 2000s, once making his grand entrance for a birthday bash by landing on the beach in a helicopter. But last weekend’s mayhem has hit Newport Beach differently, spurring calls for the city leaders to take decisive action. Some residents want the city to consider actions from an earlier era, including limiting how many people can be in the beach zone at one time.
Beach cities have always had a complex relationship with summer crowds. Newport Beach relies on $1.2 billion in spending from roughly 4 million tourists annually and has worked for more than a decade to revitalize the peninsula, in part to attract visitors. For visitors from inland areas, a trip to the beach offers a relief valve from triple-digit temperatures and is a relatively inexpensive family excursion. The beaches are supposed to be open to everyone. And some in prime coastal areas are quick to blame out-of-towners when there are problems. But some Newport Beach locals insisted what happened last weekend strayed from what’s typical with summertime crowds.
Restaurateur Mario Marovic, who owns several bars and eateries on the peninsula, said he closed his businesses at 9 p.m. after talking with the Police Department in the midst of the arrests. His staff had to shelter in place for hours. Marovic said his businesses were on track to hit record sales on July 4, one of the busiest days of the year in the industry. But he didn’t hesitate to close early. “We had to keep the community safe,” he said. At one point during the evening, his employees at Malarky’s Irish Pub — which is near the Pavilions store that was vandalized — encircled the building to prevent people from entering the property. Marovic applauded the police for their efforts across the peninsula. “The problem is, there are just too many people in the area at one time,” Marovic said. “It’s just unmanageable. Local people in the community don’t wreck their own community, so we know a lot of the trouble is being caused by people [from] far out of the area.”
The concentration of short-term rentals around the Balboa Peninsula — frequently sought out by young people looking for a place to party with ocean views — has led to tensions between residents and visitors. Officials have long sought to balance public access to the coast, and the region’s immense tourist draw, with residents’ desire for quiet and safety. Residents say the city restricted vehicle access to the peninsula for nonresidents during the Fourth of July decades ago. There would be checkpoints on Newport Boulevard where drivers would have to show proof they lived on the peninsula or had a reservation there during certain peak traffic times. Some residents say they would welcome a return to that method or something similar, not to restrict access to the beach but to control ingress to the peninsula during busy holidays. “It clearly was effective, even then, when there was probably less intensity and volume of civil unrest,” said Denys Oberman, who has lived on the peninsula for 31 years. “Residents have been saying for a number of years now that it’s something that should be done. There’s an inability and unwillingness to manage what goes on.” Oberman said the problems had ebbed and flowed over the years, but she noticed worsening crowds during spring break and summer about two years ago. “Newport has been branded as the place to go and go crazy,” she said. “This is the worst I’ve seen it in 35 years,” added Fred Levine, sitting on his patio along the beach boardwalk. Residents couldn’t leave their homes on Saturday or return once police blocked off vehicle access on the peninsula after the melee. A family with children who rented a vacation home for the week on the boardwalk said they were so frightened by the situation that they wouldn’t return to the city during the holiday, Levine said.
A spokesperson for TikTok confirmed to Fox News Digital that any content posted on the platform that promotes theft, property damage, criminal activity, or dangerous behaviors that could cause serious harm violates the app's Community Guidelines.
Newport Beach Mayor Lauren Kleiman said that while most Americans were participating in parades and barbecues for the nation’s 250th anniversary, the city’s police “were away from their families fighting to protect our beloved city from the anarchistic youth that occupied our beaches, disrespected our City, and Country.” “To anyone who threw mortars at our officers and into crowds, started fights, destroyed property, or ignored police commands, enjoy your view from your jail cell,” Kleiman said in a post on Instagram. Kleiman told those who came to the city to "behave badly" to "go back to wherever you came from and never return." She also called out parents in her post, saying "shame on you" to those who "sent their kids here without chaperons, good sense, or respect for law enforcement." The mayor said Newport Beach has always welcomed everyone to the city; however, “the destructive behavior displayed by these out of town youth will not be tolerated. Not in Newport.”
