Upstate New York mall closes early due to ‘disorderly groups’; 2 teenagers were detained

A mall in upstate New York closed early Thursday due to concerns about “large and disorderly groups of teenagers and youth.”

The Mall at Greece Ridge, located near Rochester, was closed shortly after 6 p.m. the day after Christmas, also known as Boxing Day, by police and mall security. According to WHAMThe Greek police department said it expected a large influx of teenagers after seeing posts on social media.

Police of Greece said the mall was cleared without incident, but shortly after, fights broke out between several groups of teenagers in an adjacent area near the mall. Two 16-year-old Rochester residents were arrested for disorderly conduct.

Police said there were no other crimes and no damage to stores in the mall or nearby businesses. WROC a neighborhood Chick-fil-A reportedly refused to offer dine-in, offering only drive-thru, and shoppers at a nearby Target said they were asked to leave by police.

According to WHAM, a curfew was imposed at the mall last year major battles took place in 2023. Police made a plan with mall security to quickly seal off the area to prevent future incidents.

The Mall at Greece Ridge said in a statement that a large number of teenagers were running around the mall, causing disruptions and refusing to leave. Similar disruptions were allegedly advertised on social media at a mall near Buffalo, officials said.

WKBW reports that Cheektowaga police swept the Walden Galleria around 7 p.m. Thursday as part of a “coordinated and planned effort to sweep the mall at closing time.” The preventive measure was taken after the shopping center had previously seen fights on the day after Christmas in 2018, 2021 and 2023.

In another incident, a man was arrested Monday for allegedly starting a fight at Crossgates Mall near Albany.

WNYT reports that 27-year-old Donavan Graham was charged with disorderly conduct. Guilderland police said he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the Dec. 23 incident; no one was seriously injured and there were no weapons.