One popular TikTok post with over 17,000 likes encouraged local teens to gather at a carnival held outside the mall.
The previous weekend, several teens were arrested and one officer was injured after a brawl broke out at a similar event at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, New Jersey.
After spotting online chatter ahead of the planned pop-up party, police held a briefing with representatives from neighboring jurisdictions and prepared to act.
Around 3 p.m., groups of teenagers began arriving at the Woodbridge Center Mall's annual carnival. After they were prevented from entering the fair, they began to gather inside the mall.
"It was okay for a while, but then they started getting unruly," said Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac.
By 6:21 p.m., larger groups began arriving, and Woodbridge police dispatched all available units to the mall for crowd control.
Soon, the carnival reached maximum capacity and stopped admitting new attendees.
Authorities say that multiple fights broke out, and teens began jumping the fence to enter. Within minutes, the carnival was shut down, and the crowd of juveniles descended on the mall.
"The carnival had to shut down because they had too many people, and they started having fights in the parking lot ... so the carnival closed ... then the mall closed early," Mayor McCormac said.
Around 8:11 p.m., Woodbridge police requested mutual aid from neighboring jurisdictions, and officers from Carteret, Rahway, Clark, Sayreville, and Edison arrived to disperse crowds lingering in the parking lot.
While no arrests were made initially, one young attendee with a minor injury was treated and released to their parents.
Police hope numerous videos - from police bodycams, drones, and social media - will help them identify troublemakers.
"There's likely to be some arrests to follow," said Capt. Brian Murphy of the Woodbridge police.
His message to teens: "Be careful what you decide you want to do. It could affect your future ... think before you act."
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