Police in NJ investigate 'fight club'-style videos posted online

GARFIELD, N.J. (WABC) -- A new kind of fight club is being captured on video and then distributed globally.

Police in New Jersey are investigating because they are believed to have taken place in Bergen and Passaic counties. Dozens of these fights have been posted and seen by thousands.

The disturbing videos of young people fighting have ended up on Twitter. So now some local cops are taking action.

Detectives say the attackers and their victims are real. In the video, one young man appears to ambush another, beating him mercilessly before leaving his victim bruised and battered.

Garfield police captain, Darren Sucorowski says the problem is growing.

"The glorifying of violence is nothing we want to see. We want people to call us when these things are occurring so that we can stop this before anyone gets injured," said Det. Capt. Darren Sucorowski, of the Garfield Police Department.

But people clearly are getting injured. The videos were posted on a twitter account called @bcountyfights. Investigators say many videos appear to be mutually-consensual fights, but others are blatant assaults.

"Each fight is different. There are ones that are mutual consent it appears and there are other ones that are planned attacks, but most of these cases that we have, have been solved," Sucorowski said.

Although it is not illegal to post the videos. Investigators say even mutually-consensual fights are illegal, and everyone involved can be charged, at minimum, with disorderly conduct.

Police are urging parents to be vigilant and asking witnesses to come forward.

"Disciplinary action in our schools, along with criminal charges in some cases," said Englewood's police captain, "often occurs as a result of fighting videos that come to our or our school system's attention."

"We don't glorify violence; it's not something that should be occurring out there. Even if they are fighting with mutual consent, they are still not something that we want to see occur, we don't want to see someone getting hurt, a bystander getting hurt, or things to escalate," Sucorowski said.

The site has since changed its privacy settings and is no longer available to the general public. Investigators say in one instance, a father was arrested for encouraging his daughter to fight another girl. The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected.