A teenage mob ruined a community carnival in New Jersey on Friday and organizers were forced to shut down the fundraising event.
The incident happened at the Tigers Youth Football Carnival in Maple Shade where neighbors gather to raise money for the youth sports organization, the New York Post reported Thursday.
Local officials said police officers tried to direct the “unruly individuals” to leave the area when a fight broke out.
“They were cursing at police officers. They were clearly trying to provoke physical confrontations with cops,” Maple Shade Police Department Lt. Daniel O’Brien recalled.
A resident whose six-year-old son plays for the Tigers said he and his family were at the carnival when the chaos erupted. He told Fox 29, “Knowing that we can’t probably have events like this anymore is really terrible for the neighborhood, for the kids.”
Police charged several teenagers after swarms of them were seen fighting and running down nearby streets. Although rumors online said weapons were brought to the event, police could not verify those claims and did not find any weapons at the carnival.
Cell phone recordings showed police at the scene and teenagers fighting:
Another clip showed the teenagers brawling as police tried to calm the situation and disperse the crowd, per ABC 6. Maple Shade Tigers President Thomas Oshinsky said the organization is a nonprofit and every penny they make goes to their group for equipment.
The outlet noted a similar incident happened at the same carnival in 2025. Local officials canceled Saturday night’s events after the chaos on Friday evening.
“In January, then-Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation allowing police to fine parents of juveniles involved in certain disturbances,” ABC 6 reported. “In the most serious cases, parents could face jail time. Maple Shade police say they are exploring that option, but note the process will take time as investigators review video, identify suspects, and locate their guardians.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.