#New Jersey restaurant that hosted GOP gala closed by mayor

A New Jersey restaurant that played host to a Republican gala Thursday evening has been shuttered by city officials.

Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop posted the order closing Maritime Parc to his Twitter accounts Friday.

“The establishment … has been ordered CLOSED until such time as the operators prepare and submit a written operational plan to the Jersey City Division of Environmental Health describing how they intend to comply with Governor Phil Murphy’s Executive orders … regarding capacity mandates and mask wearing,” the order reads.

In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Fulop said he took “Covid enforcement very seriously,” and called the GOP confab an “egregious violation” of statewide protocols designed to limit the spread of the deadly pandemic.

The event, officially billed as a fundraiser, was put on by the New York Young Republican Club. A keynote address from former Alaska governor Sarah Palin was dropped amid mounting criticism of the event. She was later replaced by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Manhattan GOP Chairwoman Andrea Catsimatidis and right-wing provocateur James O’Keefe were also in attendance.

“It is also beyond the pale that Rep Matt Putz – I mean @RepMattGaetz – would participate in this. What a fool,” said Gov Murphy in a tweet. “Matt – You are not welcome in New Jersey, and frankly I don’t ever want you back in this state.”

He added that the event would also be investigated by law enforcement.

“You’re gonna regret this tweet when you move to Florida like the rest of New Jersey,” Gaetz shot back.

Photos of the event showed revelers to be mostly maskless. It’s unclear how many people attended the event but at least 65 people had RSVPed on the group’s Facebook page. There appeared to be little social distancing.

Gabriel Montalvo, a board member and activism chair of the New York Young Republican Club, said he had no regrets about attending the event.

“It is a shame and an embarrassment that NJ Gov. Murphy threw a tantrum and had local officials and authorities close a business,” he told The Post. “If BLM and Antifa can march … in the thousands and take over bridges, highways, and streets without any word about public safety from these same hypocrites, then there should be no reason why we cannot enjoy a dinner.”