NJ Shore Mayor: We're Full, Stay Out

The mayor of a central New Jersey town is barring nonresidents from entering the community via a major highway—but it's just a temporary prohibition. Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty announced the decision in a Twitter post around 3pm today. He says traffic into the town from Route 35 is "shut down immediately" because the Monmouth County community of about 6,000 people has "reached its capacity." That population balloons to upward of 60,000 in the summer months, reports NJ.com. "Unfortunately, we're not able to accept any more visitors," says Doherty.

Doherty says the decision was made for public safety reasons. Thousands of people came to Belmar today for the concluding day of the 29th annual seafood festival or to hit local beaches; the festival alone drew an estimated 200,000, notes NJ.com. Doherty says full-time Belmar residents can bypass the road closures by showing their driver's license. (More New Jersey stories.)