A popular beach in Manasquan, New Jersey, was temporarily closed to swimmers during peak summer season after more than 60 syringes washed up on the shore. The closure began on Saturday when a beachgoer found five needles, prompting local officials to prohibit swimming and search the area, which coincides with the town's busiest season, as its year-round population of around 6,000 swells to hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Manasquan's Office of Emergency Management, the Monmouth County Health Department and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection jointly managed the clean-up, which focused on the southern end of the beach. After monitoring the water through two high-tide cycles, officials reopened the beach to swimmers early on Sunday morning. The source of the needles was not disclosed, though a similar 2021 incident at Ocean Beach was linked by state officials to home-use diabetic syringes flushed down toilets, which can enter sewer systems and wash out to sea during heavy rain, rather than illegal dumping.