GREECE, N.Y. — The Mall at Greece Ridge has reopened after closing early last night after police say a large groups of teens and young adults were acting unruly and wouldn’t leave.

Two 16-year-olds from Rochester were arrested for disorderly conduct. The mall stated that the closure was prompted by the group running around and refusing to leave, rather than any fighting inside the mall.

Wilmorite, the company that owns the mall, mentioned that Greece Police were prepared for the situation, as it had been planned on social media at several other malls across upstate New York. However, no posts indicating such plans were found during initial research.

Greece Police implemented a successful strategy to manage the situation. Although fights occurred outside the mall, officers quickly intervened, and no severe injuries were reported.

Shoppers shared their experiences from last night.

Rylee and Cas, who were at Target, said, “We’re trying to get out and as soon as we approached the door everyone is — I guess a fight broke out in the parking lot or something like that. And so they locked the doors and we got stuck- locked in.”

Amaya Dixon, dining at King Crab, described, “All of a sudden all these people that were in the mall started coming in there and — it’s just a lot of commotion.”

Retail employees said the scene was chaotic, and hundreds of kids were running around making a ton of noise.

Following a similar incident last year, the mall implemented a parental escort policy, requiring those under 19 to be accompanied by a parent or guardian after 4 p.m. However, some question its effectiveness and enforcement.

News10NBC asked retail employees if they think the policy will help.

“Not really,” said retail employee Alicia Muhammad. “I still see teens come in without parents and all that and it doesn’t really do much.”

Retail employees tell us the policy disrupts sales and throws off the day. One employee said off camera that she gets worried when things like this happen, that it gives the mall a bad impression and could affect businesses.

Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich called the incident disturbing but praised the Greece Police and mall staff for their flawless handling of the situation.

Greece Ridge Mall issued the following statement in part on the chaos:

“The Greece Police Department and mall security anticipated this large influx of teens tonight because it was planned on social media at several malls including Buffalo. This was planned and we were prepared.”

“Due to the large volume of teens, we elected to close the mall as a precaution. The Greece Police Department’s swift response prevented any violence from happening inside the mall. Afterward, when teens were dispersing outside in the parking lot, there were some physical altercations, but no severe violence occurred.”

“RTS graciously sent extra buses to get the teens home. We are very grateful for the quick response from The Greece Police, NY State Police, and Rochester Police Department, all of whom responded to keep the mall safe. This is the only major incident that has happened at the mall since last year on this date. The Mall at Greece Ridge strictly enforces the curfew and used new app technology to communicate to mall employees and keep them safe.”  

A.I. assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News10NBC uses A.I.