WOODBRIDGE, N.J. — A viral TikTok meetup spiraled out of control Saturday night, forcing the shutdown of a New Jersey carnival and triggering chaos inside a nearby mall as hundreds of teenagers overwhelmed the area, police said.
The Woodbridge Police Department responded around 9 p.m. to reports of approximately 300 teens converging at the Woodbridge Center Carnival. According to RLS Media, the gathering was sparked by TikTok posts promoting an impromptu linkup at the event.
Despite the carnival’s entry policy requiring minors to be accompanied by a parent or guardian and mandating valid identification for all adults, a large group of unaccompanied teens gathered and quickly became unruly.
Police attempted to disperse the crowd, but many fled into the adjacent Woodbridge Center Mall. There, the chaos continued, prompting stores to close early and some to shelter customers inside as the teens ran through the complex.
The crowd of youths at the carnival grew so unruly that Woodbridge police had to call on neighboring departments for backup, according to a report.
Incident echoes earlier teen brawl at nearby mall
Saturday’s disruption closely mirrors a similar incident at Menlo Park Mall the previous weekend, where a TikTok-inspired teen gathering escalated into a brawl that left one police officer injured and resulted in seven arrests.
So far, Woodbridge authorities have not announced any arrests related to Saturday night’s incident, but video clips circulating on social media show large groups of teens gathering, shouting, and filming the disorder.
Police said the investigation is ongoing, and the carnival has not announced whether additional safety measures will be implemented for future events.
