Only 10 of the 353 people cited or arrested on the Balboa Peninsula during the Fourth of July chaos were Newport Beach residents, according to police data first reported by the Orange County Register on Tuesday, July 7.

The rest came from somewhere else. Of the 353 cited or arrested on Saturday, July 4, 145 were from Arizona and 161 were from elsewhere in California, the data shows. Ages ranged from 13 to 39.

The city's official statement confirmed that social media posts drew the crowd. The numbers show the overwhelming majority of those detained were not local.

What happened

The chaos erupted around 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, after what the city described as social media posts drawing "a large influx of juveniles and young adults to the Newport Pier area within a short period of time." Deputy Chief of Police Joshua Vincelet described "a large unruly crowd of close to 3,000 people fighting and causing massive disruption from 29th Street to 35th Street."

The Newport Beach Police Association said officers were outnumbered by as much as 500 to 1 at times during the initial response. More than 350 officers from 17 regional law enforcement agencies responded after police declared an unlawful assembly. It took nearly two hours to clear the beach and restore order.

One officer was struck by a mortar-style firework and treated at the scene with non-life-threatening injuries. The Newport Beach Fire Department responded to 102 emergency incidents that night, including 10 fires, and transported 44 patients to local hospitals. Six were trauma patients.

The Pavilions supermarket on West Balboa Boulevard was ransacked during the melee. Albertsons, which owns the store, confirmed exterior product displays were damaged but the interior was unharmed. The store reopened Sunday, July 5.

Preparation and enforcement

The city had prepared for trouble ahead of the holiday, launching a "Not in Newport" campaign and tripling fines in designated safety enhancement zones through Monday, July 6. Officials also adopted a one-strike policy allowing revocation of short-term rental permits if guests violated public safety laws during the enforcement period.

At 10:50 p.m. on July 4, the NBPD sent alerts via Newport Notified announcing all beaches were closed and that police were actively clearing traffic from the Peninsula.

By the numbers

Of the 353 people cited or arrested on July 4 specifically, 316 received misdemeanor citations and 37 were formally arrested, including 25 juveniles. Over the full weekend from July 3 through July 5, police made 402 total arrests. That is nearly seven times the 60 arrests made during the same period in 2025.

City response

Mayor Lauren Kleiman called the incident an attack on the community and pledged to prevent a recurrence. She acknowledged the pattern has been building.

"The last couple of years we've definitely seen an uptick, in particular kids from out of state," Kleiman said. "I think that social media has really changed things."

Newport Beach Police Association President Joe DeJulio said the agitators "came to our city with the intent on causing harm, injury, and destruction."

Residents who witnessed criminal activity or have video evidence can contact the Newport Beach Police Department at 949-644-3717.