Despite problems, Cruisin' seen as good for Ocean City
What is one of the major kickoffs for Ocean City’s summer season was marked by more than one tragedy this year.
Thursday, the first day of Cruisin’ Ocean City, saw one death after a motorcycle slammed into a pickup truck. Two days later, a Pennsylvania man fell eight stories from a balcony and died.
Even with issues in recent years, town leaders believe the majority of problems stem from a few individuals that give the event a bad name.
“For us, (it was) a very somber weekend,” Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro said.
The event is challenging for the town and taxing from a resource standpoint. They’re lucky to have allied law enforcement that comes in and helps, he said. Agencies like the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police and the Maryland Transportation Authority come in and lend assistance.
Buzzuro could not comment on how many extra officers are brought in for this event, but he said the amount has increased significantly since last year’s event.
Even with the two major tragedies, the chief said preliminary numbers show the event’s crime looked to be about on par with previous years. And these incidents aren’t going to keep the event from coming back in years to come.
For the foreseeable future Cruisin’ Ocean City is here to stay, Buzzuro said. But to keep things safe people need to make sure they're following the rules, he said.
“When you visit the town of Ocean City, come in with the notion that you’re going to respect our community and act responsibly,” he added.
Past Problems
This year, the car-lovers event ended with two people dead.
Eric Del Marr, 24, of Germantown died Thursday after police say he was driving at a high rate of speed. The crash occurred at 28th Street and Philadelphia Avenue. Prior to the incident, a non-Ocean City officer in town helping for the weekend tried to pull Del Marr over for doing wheelies on his bike.
RELATED: Man dies after Ocean City motorcycle crash
Police have said Del Marr sped away from law enforcement when they tried to pull him over, and soon after, he crashed his bike into a pickup truck.
Later that weekend, Jordan M. Hess, 29, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania died after falling from a balcony at the Stowaway Grand Hotel at 2100 Baltimore Ave. Police have not yet determined if drugs or alcohol came into play, but said initial investigations show the incident appears to have been accidental.
READ MORE: Pennsylvania man dead after falling from balcony
“We haven’t seen this before," Buzzuro said, in regard to the number of tragedies this weekend.
But even if the event hasn't seen numerous tragedies in recent years, it hasn't been without its problems.
Last year, a Millersville man was charged with six traffic violations after a May 16 video shot during that year's Cruisin’ Ocean City. Harry Matthew Huntsman, 25, was driving his blue Corvette near 94th and Coastal Highway and was caught on video doing doughnuts, among other things, in the middle of the highway.
MORE: Driver doing doughnuts during Cruisin’ in OC charged
Later in the month, on May 30, he was pulled over by Ocean City police for driving a vehicle with the window view obstructed by sign material and was charged for the May 16 incident.
He faced six charges, including negligent driving, reckless driving, driving a motor vehicle in a manner intended to cause skidding, spinning wheels, driving a motor vehicle in a manner intended to cause excessive noise and failure to drive right of center.
And in 2014, a similar Ocean City car event saw at least one major fight and a separate incident where two men were arrested after punching a horse.
H2O International, an annual show for Volkswagen and Audi enthusiasts, saw at least one fight that year at the 45th Street Village shopping center, which turned into somewhat of a scene that was captured on video by several onlookers.
RELATED STORY: Horse assaulted during H20 weekend in OC
What the future holds
For the most part, town leaders see the Cruisin' event as good for the town. Town spokeswoman Jessica Waters said it gets people in the town, staying in hotels and eating at local places.
“It’s really great for businesses," she said. “It certainly does bring a lot of our loyal visitors.”
But with the good, comes the bad. And even if it's just a few bad eggs, it can give the whole event a negative name.
Unfortunately, Waters said, there are people who come down for the event who don’t follow the rules.
“(Those people are) really the exception, not the rule," she said.
Many times, people who are complaining about people causing problems are the people who have come down for the event, she said.
These people who come down do so because they love the classic cars, and they love spending time in Ocean City. Some of them have been coming since it started, she said.
And these complaints — they're something the town, and police, take seriously.
Police, the town and the event's coordinators work in close contact to help things move more smoothly.
Buzzuro said this past year, they added more police to help better patrol things. And they will work to see what changes can be made to keep things safer in years to come.
In the end though, some of it comes down to personal responsibility, Waters said.
“Hopefully we can get everyone to put safety first and have some respect for the residents and the laws of Ocean City while they’re here," she added.
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