Jones Beach (Photo credit: Rashed Mian)
A Queens man was arrested Wednesday afternoon after a 50-person brawl broke out at Jones Beach, New York State Parks Police said.
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Jonathan Santo, 23, of Flushing, was charged with felony assault and resisting arrest. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
An unidentified 19-year-old man, also from Queens, was taken to Nassau University Medical Center after suffering “a serious wound to his face from a bottle,” Capt. Bruce Marx said.
A number of other people involved in the beach brawl refused medical attention, he said.
Police responded to a call at 2:45 p.m. regarding a “large disturbance” on the beachfront at the West Bathhouse.
Police believe the melee started at the ice cream parlor at the central mall and then moved west to the Bathhouse.
Investigators are still unsure what sparked the large brawl, but were told there was “a lot of drinking, [and] a lot of alcohol,” Marx said.
He noted that the fight may have included two rival groups, but Marx quickly ruled out any gang activity.
The heat, which was pushing 100 degrees Wednesday, may have also been a factor, police said.
“Nobody knows for sure what started the whole thing,” he said.
Santo will be arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Hempstead.
