SOAK UP THE SUN

Chris Christie Enjoys Empty Beach He Closed to Public

His family stayed at state-provided summer house amid government shutdown.

While Island Beach State Park on the Jersey Shore was closed to the public over the holiday weekend, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie got the state-run beach entirely to himself, thanks to a governor’s residence right on the shore. Christie was joined by wife Mary Pat and other members of his family on early Sunday afternoon, photographs taken from the air showed. Legislators were unable to pass a budget for New Jersey on Friday night, causing the state shutdown, which included all 40 state parks and affected as many as 35,000 state workers. Christie did, however, sign an executive order permitting the operation of essential services and New Jersey Transit. “The governor has a residence at Island Beach. Others don’t,” Christie said ahead of his trip. “Run for governor and you can have the residence.”