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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
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
300 teens force shutdown of New Jersey carnival after TikTok-inspired meetup descends into chaos and spreads to nearby mall
Hundreds of teenagers shut down a New Jersey carnival after a TikTok meetup spun out of control and spread into a nearby mall, mirroring a similar teen rendezvous at another local mall that injured a cop last week. The Woodbridge Police Department responded to an unruly horde of approximately 300 youths gathered at the Woodbridge Center Carnival around 9 p.m. Saturday, according to RLS Media. The teens were supposedly rallied by a series of TikTok posts calling for an impromptu linkup at the carnival. The carnival required anyone under the age of 18 be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All adult attendees were also required to show valid identification to be permitted entry, according to the carnival website. But still, the crowd of youths at the carnival grew so unruly that Woodbridge police had to call on neighboring departments for backup, RLS reported. Eventually, the chaos spread into the Woodbridge Center Mall, forcing many stores to lock up early and even shelter shoppers inside as the teens ran wild. On Sunday, many of the carnival attendees posted video compilations of their time observing or participating in the havoc across Woodbridge. 'menlo first and now this wth,' one TikTok user commented. 'can we like, keep this in Jersey Gardens,' another added. Some of the teenagers broke away from Woodbridge and started making their way towards the Menlo Park Mall in Edison — the site of the last hooligan meetup — on foot. Edison police turned up at the mall ahead of the group to ensure there were no repeats of last week's brawl, according to the local outlet. Last Saturday, similar posts about a gathering at the Menlo Park Mall sparked a massive mob that resulted in the arrest of seven minors from nearby towns, including Woodbridge. The Woodbridge Center Mall, where the carnival was hosted, is a mere 7.5 miles away from the Menlo Park Mall. Edison Mayor Sam Joshi called for increased security and even a curfew at the Menlo Park Mall in the wake of last week's melee — which left one cop with a fractured ankle. He hopes that the new regulations will be implemented in a few weeks, according to My Central Jersey. Joshi also asserted that the parents should be held responsible for their children's actions, especially since some trekked from nearly an hour away in the dead of night for the meetup. 'Parents need to be focused on their kids, making sure they are not causing this type of rowdiness in other towns,' he said. It's unclear if any participating youths were arrested following the carnival or if anyone was injured. The Post reached out to the Woodbridge and Edison Police Departments for clarity.
