This Isn’t LA: Newport Beach Drops the Hammer on July 4 Rioters
The nation’s 250th birthday celebrations mostly went off without a hitch — despite a little rain trying to ruin the largest fireworks display ever. In one unexpected place, however, things went horribly wrong courtesy of a mob that took over the beach and the streets, bringing chaos and violence with them.
It’s not a scene you’d normally witness in Newport Beach, an upscale Orange County, California city known as a rare conservative bastion in the deep blue state. The mayhem, which authorities believe was ignited by a social media-fueled “TikTok Takeover,” broke out around 7 p.m. Saturday, and was marked by fighting, looting, and vandalism.
We’re not talking lawless Los Angeles here, however — this was Orange County, and law enforcement didn’t come to play games:
Scenes last night in Newport, Beach. A gang of kids was terrorizing the beach, and authorities responded.
Unfortunately, those kids caused the shutdown of July 4th at the Pier. We just can’t have nice things.😡 pic.twitter.com/o4C1J8ZfSn
— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) July 5, 2026
Over 400 people have been taken into custody in the days since the violence broke out. But not before they caused scenes like this:
I spoke to somebody that witnessed the whole thing from the start. It started on the beach with people throwing fireworks at each other, it then move to people harassing the PD horses, which then proceeded to an unruly crowd of Inlanders against officers and throwing fireworks… pic.twitter.com/xaA84MeNmm
— Surflick (@Surflick) July 5, 2026
I spoke to somebody that witnessed the whole thing from the start. It started on the beach with people throwing fireworks at each other, it then move to people harassing the PD horses, which then proceeded to an unruly crowd of Inlanders against officers and throwing fireworks into the parking lots. NBPD ordered all bars and business closed and also completely shut down east and west balboa blvd at 21st street. The traffic is backed up to nearly the entire Peninsula.
They trashed a grocery store, because of course they did:
BREAKING 🚨🚨🚨#NewportBeach / #California
Pavilions Grocery Store in Newport has been reportedly Looted tonight but the unruly riot mob. pic.twitter.com/O7Q1yjsqMi
— OC Scanner 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (@OC_Scanner) July 5, 2026
MORE: What Has Happened to America’s Youth? CA Mob’s Trashing of Convenience Store Has Become All Too Common
Busted! SFPD and CHP Box in Huge Biker Mob Trying to Take Over Bay Bridge, Dozens Arrested
It was an ugly “celebration,” one that our Founders would probably find incomprehensible:
Videos show aerial fireworks exploding at close range as people scrambled to get out of the way, while another clip showed someone throwing fireworks into a packed crowd.
Separate footage also showed an individual wearing a Spider-Man mask climbing a traffic signal before leading the crowd in chants of “USA, USA, USA.”
Other clips appear to show people carrying broken street signs and looting a nearby Pavilions grocery store on West Balboa Boulevard, with cops on horseback also charging at revelers on the beach.
Newport Beach has seen influxes of out-of-towners on Independence Day before and had many preparations in place, but Mayor Lauren Kleiman believes social media has exacerbated the issue:
“We always have an influx of visitors to the city for the Fourth of July. It’s been like that for many years, and there’s always kind of a big youth movement that has kind of ebbed and flowed.
“The last couple of years we’ve definitely seen an uptick, in particular kids from out of state. [It’s] not atypical, but I think that social media has really changed things.”
In Los Angeles, around 50 miles north of Newport Beach, you routinely read about massive violent street takeovers where there are no arrests. In this Orange County riot, however, 402 cretins have been nabbed so far. There is only one way to stop this kind of madness, and that’s with force.
A press release can be found on the City website: https://t.co/xuPsBmw6to. https://t.co/9TRahGzIly
— Newport Beach Police (@NewportBeachPD) July 5, 2026
Unfortunately, California has more often than not been seen as uninterested in enforcing the law, and this is the exact result you’d expect. Next year, how about having even more law enforcement on duty, or better yet, having the National Guard on hand?
One can always wish.
Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.
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