Hours of chaos, vandalism in Newport Beach: Should viral social media posts be blamed?

Newport Beach police are usually busy on the 4th of July.

But they did not expect the thousands of teenagers and young adults who descended on the city on Saturday, leading to chaos and vandalism that some say is the worst the city has seen in years.

Authorities are still trying to figure out what drew so many people. The Newport Beach Police Association blamed a viral “TikTok takeover” on social media that attracted crowds. It is still not clear if there is one space that was drawn or how it was planned, and the police said that their investigation is still ongoing.

Newport Beach police regularly monitor social media, but saw no indication that these crowds would come to the Peninsula.

And that may be by design. According to some legal experts, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find such posts in the world of private chat groups and apps.

People are increasingly arranging meetings on Signal, WhatsApp and Discord, which are not publicly visible, said Mike Parker, a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department commander.

“Surveillance takes time and the police have to find ways to become members and that is very difficult,” he said. “So now you add to the equation that people are available that day and it feels good. People are procrastinating. Add in hot weather and the beach can be a relief.”

Between midnight Friday and 6 a.m. Sunday, police arrested 402 people in Newport Beach, a 570% increase from the same period last year. About half of those arrested are people who remained on the Peninsula after police issued a dispersal order, authorities said.

“This was on another level,” said Lt. Eric Little of the Newport Beach Police.

Most of those arrested did not live in Newport Beach. A Times review of the department’s arrest log showed arrests from Arizona, Nevada, the Inland Empire, San Diego, Los Angeles and other cities in Orange County.

In the age of social media, a viral post about a party or rally can draw thousands of people to an area, quickly overwhelming police resources.

“It’s like a high school party from 40 years ago on steroids and on a scale not comparable to thousands, not hundreds,” Parker said.

Decades ago, police could communicate faster than teenagers who showed up at a house party, he said. “Now the kids don’t go around and film the chaos as the police try to control it.” That would draw even more crowds to the area.

In May 2021, an announcement of a 17-year-old’s birthday party went viral on TikTok, resulting in more than 2,000 partygoers gathering in the Huntington Beach area and downtown area. Crowds coming for “Adrian’s kickback” set off fireworks, jumped on police cars and clashed with police. In that incident, more than 175 people were arrested.

But what happened in Newport Beach over the holiday weekend as out-of-towners mingled with regular Fourth of July visitors was far worse, residents said.

A cyclist rides past a full trash can near the W ramp. Ocean Front in Newport Beach.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

The holiday began traditionally on the Peninsula, an area city officials have long been trying to shift away from its former reputation as a “Zooport” or “Battleground” known for drawing heavy drinking and partying crowds.

Little said the beach was packed around 9am but the tourists were celebrating peacefully. But when the sun went down around 8pm things changed.

The police began to notice “a lot of disorder because of the influx of people from social media who were coming to the area,” said Little.

Crowds of young people—between the ages of 15 and 25—filled the sand around Newport Pier, setting off firecrackers that sent sparks into the crowds. Nearby, groups descend on the mall on 32nd Street, emptying trash cans and throwing merchandise from the Pavilions grocery store into the parking lot. By the end of the night, the street was littered with exploded watermelons, sodas and chips, according to law enforcement and videos on social media.

“They were blocking roads, trying to damage cars, pulling road signs down and running down the street, drinking in public, throwing bottles and setting off fireworks,” Little said, adding that some threw fireworks and fireworks at the police and other beachgoers.

Police called for backup from other law enforcement agencies and around 8:25 p.m. Newport Beach police announced an illegal assembly in the area. About 350 Newport Beach police officers and 17 other agencies including Irvine, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol.

A Newport Beach lifeguard watches beachgoers on July 6 in Newport Beach.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

Videos on social media showed officials on horseback pushing crowds onto the beach and a helicopter making announcements for tourists to leave.

At 10:50 p.m., residents received a warning that the beaches were closed and police were evacuating vehicles from the Peninsula, preventing any additional vehicles—including residents—from entering the area.

Traffic to the area did not reopen until about 3 a.m. Sunday.

Newport Beach Councilor Joe Stapleton, who represents the area including the Peninsula, said the situation needs to be addressed by the City Council.

“What we experienced is not the level that Newport Beach should accept,” he said. “I am committed to working with our public safety personnel, citizens, businesses…to plan for 2027 and beyond to ensure this never happens again.”

Stapleton added that the incident underscores the importance of social media vigilance and the modern version of “see something, say something.”