A terrifying scene erupted at a New Jersey shopping mall on May 17, 2025, leaving customers rattled. Police arrested several juveniles following a giant brawl involving hundreds of minors at Menlo Park Mall in Edison. Footage of the incident on X shows a chaotic scene and people running to safety. NJ.com reported that posts on social media earlier in the week allegedly asked people to meet up at the mall, but it appears things quickly got out of control.
Edison Mayer Sam Joshi took the situation to social media to address it. According to Joshi, Edison police arrived at the mall around 8 p.m. after receiving reports of 300 youths involved in a “brawl.” Authorities reportedly arrested at least four people.
“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,” Joshi wrote in his post.
‘Four juveniles were arrested for a large brawl that broke out Saturday at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, according to Mayor Sam Joshi.
— The Daily Sneed™ (@Tr00peRR) May 18, 2025
Joshi says over 300 young people gathered at the mall before the fight ensued.’
– News 12 New Jersey pic.twitter.com/v5TQX0Qj9P
“It feels like that kids have no respect out in public without their parents supervising especially in the 2020’s era,” a follower responded.
Someone who claimed they witnessed the incident at Menlo Park Mall refuted the mayor’s claims.
“I was at the mall during this whole time and there was no brawl. This was a TikTok prank trend that’s been going on. They were just running up and down screaming as it was a dumb game,” the person wrote. “They were being arrested because they were running away from the police. They shut the whole mall down because kids were every where. Please change your statement to reflect the accuracy of what happened.”
Video shared on social media shows a chaotic scene. Many wondered how this kind of incident only ended with a few arrests.
“4 that’s all you arrested was 4,” someone questioned.
“LOL they only arrested 4. Good Lord what have we become,” another commenter agreed.
Others condemned the youth’s behavior.
“Imagine this being your goal in life,” an X user wrote. “When all the malls are closed, this is why,” another person warned.
NJ.com has since reported the arrest count is now at seven.
