Greece Ridge Mall closes early as teenagers cause mayhem

GREECE, NY — The Mall at Greek Ridge closed early Thursday after police said teens were acting erratically inside and then began fighting outside the mall.

Dozens of police cars surrounded the mall as officers attempted to clear it around 6 p.m. There were no fights inside the mall and police broke up the fights outside. Officers arrested two 16-year-old boys for disorderly conduct.

The disturbance also affected nearby businesses, including Target, which was evacuated and closed, and McDonald’s, which locked its doors.

Target shoppers shared their experiences. “It was nice to see them take action and make sure the rest of us were safe and evacuated safely,” said Lisa, one of the customers.

Rylee and Cas, also shoppers at Target, described the scene: “We try to get out and as soon as we approach the door everyone is there. I think there was a fight in the parking lot or something and they locked the doors so we were trapped. “I’m locked in.”

Terani McClary, who dined at King Crab, explained: “People come to King Crab while they’re enjoying dinner and they start the same thing. Another person told them you needed to go outside so everyone could enjoy their meal and the kids started making noise and things started to get really crazy.

GPD has assigned a detail to the mall to avoid confusion during holiday season shopping. Police said there was no damage to any businesses in or around the mall.

In the statement made by the shopping center, it was stated that the young people ran around the shopping center, created chaos and refused to leave. The mall stated that these disruptions, not fights, were the reason for the mall’s closure.

The statement also stated that the Greek Police and shopping mall security were ready because young people planned the disruptions in various shopping malls on social media. Here is part of the explanation:

“The Greek Police Department and mall security had anticipated such a large influx of teenagers tonight because it had been planned on social media at several malls, including Buffalo. “This was planned and we were prepared.”

“Due to the density of young people, we decided to close the shopping center as a precaution. The quick intervention of the Greek Police Department prevented any violence inside the shopping center. Later, as the young people dispersed in the parking lot, some physical fights occurred, but no serious violence occurred.”

“RTS kindly sent extra buses to take the youth home. We are very grateful for the rapid response of Greece Police, New York State Police, and Rochester Police Department, who responded to keep the mall safe. This is the only major incident to occur at the mall on this date since last year. “The Mall at Greek Ridge is strictly enforcing the curfew and using new app technology to communicate with mall employees and keep them safe.”

The disorder is reminiscent of a similar incident the day after Christmas last year, when up to 200 teenagers caused the mall to close early.

In the shopping mall, which must remain open until 20:00 on Thursday, there is a curfew for everyone under the age of 19 accompanied by a legal guardian. Shopping mall officials stated that they will continue to strictly enforce this rule.

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