A large-scale brawl erupted at a New Jersey mall on Saturday night, following a call to gather that was reportedly organized on the social media platform TikTok. According to local reports and official statements, seven minors were apprehended in the ensuing chaos, which was triggered by TikTok posts inviting young people to congregate at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison.
The initially manageable crowd of around 100 individuals rapidly swelled to over 300 young people from various parts of New Jersey, as per Edison Mayor Sam Joshi’s social media post. The situation escalated shortly after 8 p.m., necessitating the intervention of law enforcement.
Among the seven minors taken into custody, at least four were from towns other than Edison, Mayor Joshi revealed. The Edison police had to request reinforcements from neighboring police departments to disperse the unruly crowd.
During the operation to control the crowd, an officer sustained a fractured ankle, according to Edison Police Chief Tom Bryan. However, no injuries were reported among the young people involved, and no weapons were found at the scene.
The charges against the arrested minors varied. One was charged with aggravated assault on an officer, while six others were charged with disorderly conduct. One individual faced charges for both disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, as per Chief Bryan.
In the lead-up to the incident, some of the young people involved had posted on TikTok and Instagram, encouraging others to join them at the mall at 7 p.m. It remains unclear whether these posts explicitly called for a fight or were intended for a different kind of gathering. However, Chief Bryan confirmed that TikTok played a significant role in the formation of the large crowd.
One particular TikTok post promoting a “Menlo Mall Linkup??” garnered over 9,000 likes and 156,000 views. The user who posted this invitation reiterated the call on Thursday. Videos of the ensuing chaos, featuring teenagers causing havoc and fleeing from arresting officers, went viral on TikTok.
This incident is not an isolated one. Over the past year, several instances of minors being arrested following fights triggered by social media meetups have been reported. In October, a similar situation unfolded at the Kings Dominion theme park near Richmond, Virginia, after a social media callout, although no arrests were made.