'It's not going to be tolerated:' NJ mayor demands more mall security after teen brawl
EDISON - Mayor Sam Joshi said he is asking Menlo Park Mall management to increase security and consider a curfew after 300 teenagers were involved in a weekend brawl that resulted in seven arrests and one police officer being injured.
Police from nine different departments, including Woodbridge, New Brunswick, Carteret, Metuchen, Piscataway, Cranbury, South Plainfield, Highland Park and New Jersey State Police, responded to the mall on a report of a brawl shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday, May 17.
Seven teenagers from Hillsborough, Linden, New Brunswick and Woodbridge were arrested. Six were charged under juvenile statutes with disorderly persons offenses for refusing to comply with police instructions and failing to disperse.
One was charged with assaulting a police officer.
The juveniles ranged in age from 15 to 17. They were all released to their parents.
Joshi said he wants Simon Property Group, the Indianapolis-based owner of the mall, to add license plate readers, cameras and security personnel. He said he also wants what he described as one of the last thriving malls in New Jersey to impose a curfew.
"Changes needed to be made within Menlo Park Mall and Simon Properties and we will continue to work with them until that happens," the mayor said.
Police Chief Tom Bryan said the teens were pushing, shoving and fighting and when police arrived, the teens started confronting and fighting with officers.
It took about an hour and 20 minutes to disperse the crowd, the chief said.
Bryan said one officer was injured in the melee, but no one else. There was no damage to the mall, according to Joshi.
The gathering of teens at the mall was apparently prompted by a social media post on TikTok. Joshi said no charges have been filed against the social media influencer who posted the video, but "everything is on the table" as the investigation continues.
He said the video did not indicate the intent of the gathering was to cause a fight, but it was to cause a disturbance.
More: Edison mayor skips budget presentation that calls for slight tax increase
Joshi said the teen who posted the TikTok indicated he wanted to conduct interviews in the hope of recruiting other teens who wanted to become social media influencers.
After speaking to Simon representatives, Joshi said he hoped the increased security measures would be implemented in a few weeks.
Joshi said the police substation at the mall continues to serve its purpose − reducing response time and streamlining processing during incidents. However, the mall is privately owned and security remains Simon Properties' responsibility, he said.
"We also are considering, and this will require a second conversation with senior management of Simon Malls, whether we should push them to have a curfew at the mall. It's going to require a further review," the mayor said.
More: Three first responders taken to the hospital in Edison house fire
Simon has not responded to email and telephone requests for comment.
"Edison Township is a thriving community and I understand these types of incidents have happened in other malls throughout the state but under no circumstances is Edison Township going to tolerate this type of behavior within our community. It is not going to be tolerated at all. We do want to make sure these expectations are met, very, very soon," the mayor said.
With some of the teens traveling nearly 45 minutes to the mall, Joshi questioned if their parents were aware what their children are doing.
"Parents need to be focused on their kids making sure they are not causing this type of rowdiness in other towns," the mayor said. "The parents also need to be held responsible."
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Edison mayor demands more Menlo Park Mall security after teen brawl
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Boston mayor Wu draws federal backlash for comparing masked ICE agents to neo-Nazis
[Source] Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is taking heat from federal officials after comparing masked ICE agents to 'secret police' and suggesting similarities to a neo-Nazi group during immigration enforcement operations. Catch up The latest rebuke against Wu — who is running for re-election — erupted in late May after she told WBUR that people are 'getting snatched off the street by secret police who are wearing masks and can offer no justification for why certain people are being taken and then detained.' Her comments came amid heightened immigration enforcement operations, including the March arrest of Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk by masked, plain-clothed ICE agents in a Boston suburb. Federal officials defended the mask-wearing practice by highlighting safety concerns. ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons told reporters, 'People are out there taking photos of the names, their faces and posting them online with death threats to their family and themselves.' Trending on NextShark: Escalation of comments Last week, Wu drew parallels between ICE agents and NSC-131, a New England-based neo-Nazi group. 'I don't know of any police department that routinely wears masks,' she told reporters. 'We know that there are other groups that routinely wear masks. NSC-131 routinely wears masks.' But when pressed on whether she was equating ICE with the organization, Wu declined to directly answer and instead reiterated that local police departments do not routinely wear masks. In response, the Department of Homeland Security called the comparison 'sickening,' while White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson slammed her broader comments as 'disgusting, dangerous attacks on law enforcement.' Trending on NextShark: The big picture Wu's confrontation with federal authorities builds on her March 5 congressional testimony before a Republican-led House Oversight Committee, where she defended Boston's sanctuary policies by asserting that it is 'the safest major city in the country.' The mayor shows no signs of retreating. Yesterday, she signed an executive order mandating regular Freedom of Information Act requests for ICE arrest details, saying 'it is our responsibility to make sure that communication between our residents and the city of Boston in every manner is designed to boost trust and boost collaboration.' She also advised border czar Tom Homan to 'take a time out' on ICE operations nationwide. Trending on NextShark: This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Trending on NextShark: Subscribe here now! Trending on NextShark: Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Legion of Christ priest arrested in Mexico City airport on rape charge for alleged abuse of a minor
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities arrested a Roman Catholic priest at the capital's international airport on charges of raping of a minor over a period of years, officials said Thursday. The Mexico state prosecutor's office said that Rev. Antonio Cabrera, a member of the Legion of Christ religious order, was arrested Wednesday night on a court order for rape. Authorities cited incidents in 2004, 2007 and 2011, but the investigation only began in December 2024, after the alleged attacks were reported. The abuse allegedly occurred in Naucalpan, a Mexico City suburb. The prosecutor's office did not say why Cabrera was at the airport. The Legion of Christ religious order has been involved in sexual abuse scandals before, including those of its late founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, who was later determined to be a serial pedophile. The Vatican in 2010 took over the Mexico-based Legion and imposed a process of reform after an investigation showed that Maciel had sexually abused seminarians and fathered at least three children with two women. The Legion of Christ confirmed the arrest of one of its priests without naming him in statement Thursday. The order said it had not received information from authorities about the case, but were willing to cooperate with the investigation. Cabrera was jailed pending an initial hearing.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trainer for slain Wadesboro Police K-9 Blitz countersues former police chief after being accused of defamation
WASDESBORO, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The dog trainer for the Wadesboro Police K-9 killed in April is making counter-claims toward the department after being accused of making defamatory statements towards the interim chief. Joshua Harrington is the Rowan County-based trainer who provided K-9 Blitz in early 2025 to the Wadesboro Police Department at no cost. In court documents, he says Blitz was trained for narcotics and suspect tracking, but was not certified in the apprehension or biting of suspects and should never be deployed in those circumstances, claiming serious injuries would occur. Harrington's June 11 lawsuit claims that, despite knowing what that led to Blitz's killing, then-Interim Police Chief Jason Eschert and Town of Wadesboro Police Department 'took no efforts to take accountability for their mismanagement of the situation and/or negligence that led to K-9 Blitz's death.' Counterclaim_1749751082Download On April, Blitz was allegedly fatally shot by a Wadesboro officer after a police chase into Montgomery County. Harrigton's suit describes statements made by trainer Kayla Wright and another officer on scene that Blitz had secured the suspect by the leg. After being recalled by Wright, the suspect was holding Blitz around the nose, which led to Wright securing the dog, which eventually released the suspect in favor of a toy. During this, Blitz then bit his handler's hand while trying to get the toy. Documents say Wright asked for assistance to remove Blitz and for a sergeant to apply a 'choke-off' technique where the dog eventually released Wright. Wright told her fellow officers that Blitz was not a threat to any of them nor that it was being aggressive. But as Blitz returned to Wright in what is described as a non-aggressive manner, multiple shots were fired, striking Blitz. Harrington says Wright's requests for assistance were ignored, and Blitz died from its injuries. The police department has held that that Blitz was killed by its handler. The suit says that the next day, Harrington met with Eschert to be debriefed on the incident. Eschert allegedly told the trainer that Blitz was turned on Wright and was behaving aggressively. The police chief told Harrington 'that due to the extreme aggressiveness of Blitz, the officers on scene had no choice but to kill Blitz.' Court documents say Officer Cody Teague corroborated Wright's account of what occurred at the scene. The countersuit accuses Eschert of making several false statements about Harrington and Blitz. This includes that Blitz had a history of being aggressive and had been refused by the Virginia State Police because of this; Harrington had improperly trained Blitz; and Blitz could actually be used to apprehend suspects, and Harrington held paperwork that certified this. Harrington also says Eschert, the town of Wadesboro and the police department worked to censor him. The suit claims Eschert made multiple fake social media accounts and 'reported' Harrington's own posts related to the incident for allegedly violating their respective community standards practices. 25CV000248-030-1Download Eschert's suit on April 10 that requests $425,000 in damages, claims Harrington initiated a 'smear campaign' against him, the entire department and other law enforcement officers. Beginning on April 2, Eschert says Harrington made defamatory statements on his Facebook page that accused Blitz of 'being shot and killed by his own allies,' 'the rogue agency lied to me,' Eschert lied to him about what happened and that 'it was untrue that Blitz was Tased.' Eschert's suit says Harrington later targeted the chief's past, making accusations about his tenure at the Oakboro Police Department. Eschert, who had been named interim police chief just two months before the K-9 death, retired May 9 amid controversary surrounding the investigation. He notified town officials that people were allegedly making violent threats against him. Harrington's counter points to the New York Times v. Sullivan Supreme Court case that sets a precedent for defamation. The case says that a public official may not recoup damages if the statements were made without 'actual malice.' The document states that in addition being protected by the truth: 'No statement made and published (Harrington) was made with knowledge that it was false, or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not. To the contrary, all statements made and published by (Harrington) were his opinion, the absolute truth, privileged, fair reporting and commentary, and lacked actual malice.' No charges were brought related to Blitz's death, and the two officers involved have since resigned. In addition to the counterclaims, Harrington also requested a change of venue for the case, to Stanley County. It claims if proceedings took place in Anson County that it would prevent a 'fair and just determination of the matter.' The new suit says Harrington and his company Train Play Live has trained thousands of dogs over his career and has nationally recognized relationships with law enforcement partners across the United States. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
