Latest news with #MenloParkMall
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
300 Teens Force Shutdown of Popular New Jersey Carnival
For the second time in two weeks, a massive impromptu gathering of teens shut down an event in New Jersey. According to reports, hundreds of teens congregated at the Woodbridge Center Carnival in Woodbridge, N.J. Saturday night, causing the premature shutdown of the event. The meetup was reportedly planned and spread on TikTok. The Woodridge Police Department was called to the scene at around 9 p.m. Saturday to deal with the crowd of roughly 300 youths, according to RLS Media. However, the group "quickly became unmanageable," resulting in Woodbridge police requesting assistance from neighboring departments. Officers began to disperse the teens, but some made their way to the nearby Woodbridge Center Mall, which triggered responses from owners and shoppers. "Store owners temporarily locked their doors to protect patrons, and several individuals were detained for disorderly conduct," RLS Media wrote. Saturday's incident was similar to one that occurred earlier this month at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, less than eight miles away from the Woodbridge Carnival. During that event on May 17, more than 300 youth were drawn to the mall by a series of TikTok and Instagram videos calling for a gathering. After things deteriorated into a brawl, authorities were called and several teens were arrested. One minor was taken in for aggravated assault on an officer and six others were charged with disorderly conduct. An Edison police officer reportedly suffered a fractured ankle in the chaos. Following Saturday's commotion, some of the assembled teens made their way town Route 1 in the direction of Menlo Park Mall, resulting in Edison police reportedly showing up at the mall to prevent a repeat of the prior week's events. These out-of-control get-togethers are part of a disturbing nationwide trend on social media, which involves viral videos and posts calling for teens to meet at the same location at a given time. Predictably, these encounters turn wild, resulting in the cops being called. 300 Teens Force Shutdown of Popular New Jersey Carnival first appeared on Men's Journal on May 26, 2025
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
'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@ Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Edison mayor demands more Menlo Park Mall security after teen brawl
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Massive Brawl Breaks Out at U.S. Mall Involving 'Over 300 Youth'
A planned TikTok meetup at a New Jersey mall reportedly led to a large brawl involving more than 300 youth Saturday night. Several minors were arrested following the melee at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, N.J. this weekend. The gathering was reportedly the result of social media posts imploring youths to meet up at the shopping center. According to there was a series of TikTok and Instagram videos last week telling people to show up at the mall around 7 p.m. After hundreds of juveniles turned up and things devolved into an all-out brawl, the first calls to authorities were placed. "At approximately 8 p.m. the Edison Police Department was notified that over 300 youth were gathered at Menlo Park mall and a brawl ensued," Edison Mayor Sam Joshi said in a statement. "At least 4 were arrested. No weapons were confirmed at the incident and no injuries to juveniles at this time. Neighboring municipalities were notified and provided immediate mutual aid to the Edison Police Department to disperse the crowd." Video of the chaotic scene has been shared on social media and can be seen below. While Joshi said "at least four" minors were taken into custody, Edison Police Chief Tom Bryan told MyCentralJersey that seven individuals had been arrested. One was charged with aggravated assault on an officer and six others were charged with disorderly conduct. Additionally, one of those six was also charged with resisting arrest. None of the juveniles who were arrested were Edison residents. An Edison police officer sustained a fractured ankle during the incident. This fracas is the latest of several disturbances caused by social media meetups around the country over the last year.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Over 300 youth' descend upon New Jersey mall, sparking massive brawl planned through TikTok: officials
Hundreds of youths descended upon a north Jersey mall Saturday night in a meet-up that was reportedly pre-planned on TikTok and led to a massive brawl. Seven minors were arrested in the chaotic melee that was spurred by TikTok posts calling for juveniles to meet up at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey, that night, according to officials and local reports. The out-of-control gathering soon grew exponentially from just 100 people to 'over 300 youth' from across the Garden State shortly after 8 p.m., Edison Mayor Sam Joshi wrote on social media. At least four of the seven minors who were arrested were from other towns, according to Joshi. Edison police had to call for back-up from neighboring police departments to clear out the hooligans. As cops worked to get the rowdy crowd under control, one officer fractured their ankle, Edison Police Chief Tom Bryan told My Central Jersey. None of the youths were injured and no weapons were recovered, cops said. Of the seven arrested, one was charged with aggravated assault on an officer, and six others face disorderly conduct charges. One person was charged with both disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, Bryan told the outlet. Some participating youth shared posts on TikTok and Instagram leading up to the swarm, telling people to show up at the mall at 7 p.m. It's unclear if any of the posts advertised a fight or if it was intended for some other kind of event, but Bryan confirmed that TikTok played a role in the huge crowd. One TikTok shared last Tuesday that pitched a 'Menlo Mall Linkup??' received over 9,000 likes and 156,000 views. The user posted about the meetup again on Thursday. Videos later capturing the chaotic scene quickly went viral on TikTok overnight as teens wreaked havoc, screaming and running from officers while they were making arrests. Impromptu fights spurred by social media meet-ups have resulted in slews of minors being arrested in the last year. In October, 'mass chaos' broke out at the Kings Dominion theme park just outside of Richmond, Va, following a social media callout. No one was arrested after 14 deputies responded to the scene. In November, an armed teenage gangbanger lost hold of his gun during a fight at a mall in Long Island. A bystander kicked the weapon further away from the teen in a video released in early May. The Post reached out to the Edison Police Department for comment.
New York Post
19-05-2025
- New York Post
‘Over 300 youth' descend upon New Jersey mall, sparking massive brawl planned through TikTok: officials
Hundreds of youths descended upon a north Jersey mall Saturday night in a meet-up that was reportedly pre-planned on TikTok and led to a massive brawl. Seven minors were arrested in the chaotic melee that was spurred by TikTok posts calling for juveniles to meet up at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey, that night, according to officials and local reports. The out-of-control gathering soon grew exponentially from just 100 people to 'over 300 youth' from across the Garden State shortly after 8 p.m., Edison Mayor Sam Joshi wrote on social media. Advertisement 3 A 300-person brawl broke out at a mall in northern New Jersey on Saturday night. Bloomberg via Getty Images At least four of the seven minors who were arrested were from other towns, according to Joshi. Edison police had to call for back-up from neighboring police departments to clear out the hooligans. As cops worked to get the rowdy crowd under control, one officer fractured their ankle, Edison Police Chief Tom Bryan told My Central Jersey. Advertisement None of the youths were injured and no weapons were recovered, cops said. 3 Seven minors were arrested by police at the mall. Of the seven arrested, one was charged with aggravated assault on an officer, and six others face disorderly conduct charges. One person was charged with both disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, Bryan told the outlet. Advertisement Some participating youth shared posts on TikTok and Instagram leading up to the swarm, telling people to show up at the mall at 7 p.m. 3 The meetup was loosely advertised in advance and went viral on social media. Bloomberg via Getty Images It's unclear if any of the posts advertised a fight or if it was intended for some other kind of event, but Bryan confirmed that TikTok played a role in the huge crowd. One TikTok shared last Tuesday that pitched a 'Menlo Mall Linkup??' received over 9,000 likes and 156,000 views. The user posted about the meetup again on Thursday. Advertisement Videos later capturing the chaotic scene quickly went viral on TikTok overnight as teens wreaked havoc, screaming and running from officers while they were making arrests. Impromptu fights spurred by social media meet-ups have resulted in slews of minors being arrested in the last year. In October, 'mass chaos' broke out at the Kings Dominion theme park just outside of Richmond, Va, following a social media callout. No one was arrested after 14 deputies responded to the scene. In November, an armed teenage gangbanger lost hold of his gun during a fight at a mall in Long Island. A bystander kicked the weapon further away from the teen in a video released in early May. The Post reached out to the Edison Police Department for comment.
