More than three hundred juveniles descended on a New Jersey mall for a planned meet-up coordinated on social media. However, what was supposed to be a friendly occasion quickly turned into a massive brawl. As a result, seven minors were arrested.
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According to Edison Mayor Sam Joshi, the incident took place at Menlo Park Mall on Saturday, May 17, at around 8 p.m. Joshi revealed that “over 300 youth” gathered at the mall before the brawl erupted.
Edison Police Chief Tom Bryan said, as per My Central Jersey, that the meet-up was coordinated via TikTok. As per NJ.com, the meet-up was scheduled for 7 p.m. Initially, 100 people showed up at the event, but then the number grew to 300, which Mayor Joshi referred to.
Bryan added that while Menlo Park Mall has seen similarly sized crowds of youths before, this is the first time that a brawl had happened a the mall.
Only one township officer was on duty at the time, with requested backup arriving shortly after. During the incident, an Edison police officer fractured an ankle, according to Bryan.
Chaos At The Mall
Footage of the incident shared online shows the juveniles running inside the mall as chaos ensues during the brawl and subsequent law enforcement response.
“No weapons were confirmed at the incident and no injuries to juveniles at this time,” Joshi added. “Neighboring municipalities were notified and provided immediate mutual aid to the Edison Police Department to disperse the crowd.”
While Mayor Joshi stated that at least 4 juveniles had been arrested in connection with he brawl, Chief Bryan stated that seven youths were taken into custody. As per Bryan, one juvenile was charged with aggravated assault on an officer. The six others were charged with disorderly conduct, with one of them being charged with resisting arrest.
This incident is similar to a social media meetup in October 2024 at the Kings Dominion theme park. As per the New York Post, chaos ensued as a brawl broke out, with 300 people in the area appearing to encourage the violent incident. Despite law enforcement agents arriving at the scene, no one was arrested at the time.