GREECE, N.Y. — The Greece Town Supervisor has released a statement after the Mall at Greece Ridge closed early on Thursday because of teens acting disorderly.

Supervisor Bill Reilich said it’s disturbing that the teens intended to cause a disruption:

“I want to thank the Greece Police Department for their immediate response to last night’s situation that occurred at The Mall at Greece Ridge.  While it is unfortunate and disturbing that these individuals gathered at the Mall with the expressed intent to cause disruption, the Greece Police Department had a plan in place to deal with these types of issues that was executed flawlessly, bringing the matter safely to an end.

In a statement, Greece Ridge Mall said the teens were running through the mall, creating disruptions, and refusing to leave. Outside the mall, fights broke out, which police broke up. The mall specified that the disruptions inside and not the fights outside were the reason why the mall closed.

Dozens of police cars surrounded the mall as officers worked to clear the mall around 6 p.m. Officers arrested two 16-year-olds for disorderly conduct.

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

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

Rylee and Cas, also shoppers at Target, described the scene: “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.”

Terani McClary, who was dining at King Crab, recounted, “They come into King Crab as people were enjoying their dinner and started the same thing. And another person told them you have to get out so everyone can enjoy their food and the kids just started getting rowdy and it just started getting real crazy.”

GPD had a detail assigned to the mall to prevent disorder during holiday season shopping. Police say there was no damage to any of the businesses within the mall or surrounding businesses.

The mall’s statement said Greece Police and mall security were prepared because teens planned the disruptions on social media at several malls. Here’s part of the statement:

“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.”  

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

The mall, which was supposed to remain open until 8 p.m. on Thursday, has a curfew policy requiring anyone under 19 to be accompanied by a legal guardian. Mall officials stated they will continue to strictly enforce this rule.

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