A chaotic scene unfolded at New Jersey’s Menlo Park Mall when over 300 juveniles engaged in a massive brawl that required police intervention from multiple towns. This alarming situation reflects a troubling trend of social media-organized teen disruptions and the responsibility of parents in preventing such dangerous gatherings. Should malls ban unsupervised teens?
TikTok Call Leads to Mall Chaos
A social media-organized meetup spiraled into mayhem at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey, on Saturday night when approximately 300 juveniles gathered following a TikTok influencer’s call. What began as a gathering quickly devolved into pushing, shoving, and eventually a full-scale brawl that required police intervention from multiple neighboring towns.
Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan described the chaotic scene, stating, “They were having a brawl, they were pushing and shoving, when our officers arrived, they actually started fighting with our officers.” The situation took approximately 90 minutes to bring under control as law enforcement from surrounding communities responded to assist.
What the hell is it with these kids and their flash mobs?! It always ends the same, them causing extreme havoc
This one happened at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, NJ (Middlesex County) Saturday when at least seven juveniles were arrested due to a brawl that broke out near the… pic.twitter.com/JVkjSSoVev
— Wake Up NJ 🇺🇸 New Jersey (@wakeupnj) May 18, 2025
Officer Injured, Seven Juveniles Arrested
During efforts to restore order, one Edison police officer suffered a serious injury, sustaining a broken ankle that required medical attention. Seven juveniles were ultimately arrested – one charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, while six others faced disorderly conduct charges, with one additional count of resisting arrest.
Mayor Sam Joshi later revealed that none of the arrested individuals were Edison residents, expressing frustration with parents who failed to monitor their children’s activities. “What are the parents doing? Aren’t the parents aware that they’re traveling 45 minutes to cause a disturbance within Edison Township? It makes no sense,” Joshi stated, placing partial blame on parents for the incident.
‘Four juveniles were arrested for a large brawl that broke out Saturday at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, according to Mayor Sam Joshi.
Joshi says over 300 young people gathered at the mall before the fight ensued.’
– News 12 New Jersey pic.twitter.com/v5TQX0Qj9P
— The Daily Sneed™ (@Tr00peRR) May 18, 2025
Calls for Enhanced Security Measures
Following the incident, Mayor Joshi directed criticism at Simon Properties, the owner of Menlo Park Mall, for what he deemed inadequate security measures. The mayor demanded significant improvements, stating, “We expect them to have more license plate readers throughout the property, more cameras throughout the mall, as well as the parking deck. We wanted to ensure they significantly ramp up their private security within the mall.”
Menlo Park Mall released a statement condemning the behavior and expressing gratitude to law enforcement for their swift response. The mall emphasized its commitment to safety and security, announcing plans to increase both police presence and private security personnel to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Police Chief Bryan echoed concerns about parental oversight, questioning, “What’s up with the parents? I always knew what my kids were doing. I would never condone them going to the mall and creating havoc and chaos.” The incident joins a growing trend of social media-organized disruptions by juveniles that have led to arrests and event cancellations across New Jersey and other states.