Attempted 'takeover' of Green Acres Mall urged on by social media thwarted as 11 teens arrested

Eleven teenagers, 10 of them 16 or younger, were arrested Thursday after police said a group of 300-400 youths attempted a social media-induced "takeover" of Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream.

Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder said in a phone interview Friday that police had been monitoring social media and had officers in place waiting for the group at the mall.

While Nassau County police have not released the names of those arrested, they said charges ranged from unlawful assembly to reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and criminal possession of a weapon. Six of the juveniles were found to be carrying kitchen knives.

Almost all the charges are misdemeanors. All of the juvenile cases will be referred to family court, police said.

One person under 18 was charged with second-degree robbery after stealing a pair of sneakers. One 19-year-old was arrested, while the others ranged in age from 13 to 16.

All the offenders are from Brooklyn and Queens.

A spokesperson for Green Acres Mall did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Nassau police spokeswoman Det. Tracey Cabey said the mall was not on a lockdown during the operation.

"We were monitoring the entrances," she said. "Any adult was free to go in. Any unaccompanied teenager, we were turning away."

The incident at Green Acres is the latest in a series of takeover events, planned or actual, that Ryder said  are viral on TikTok, the popular video sharing platform.

"This is the new TikTok sensation," Ryder said, "and it's elevated itself into a criminal environment." He compared it to "swatting," another social media-inspired event when police are called to an address by a third party on a false pretext. "But now, they're actually creating the crime for us to respond to: taking over a mall," he said.

On Monday, the NYPD made 18 arrests following a similar takeover at Bay Plaza Mall in the Bronx. Seventeen of those arrested ranged from 13 to 16 years old. Charges included unlawful assembly and intent to incite a riot, police said. All are misdemeanor counts, and all but one of the cases was referred to family court.

Earlier this week, Westchester County police issued a warning to parents and their children after police said there were rumored takeover events planned at a mall and shopping centers.

On Friday, Ryder said Nassau police have coordinated with Suffolk police and the NYPD to monitor social media activity and increase police presence and patrols at shopping areas in a unified effort to thwart the new takeover trend.

In a statement to Newsday, the Suffolk police department on Friday said it was aware of the social media posts and officers were patrolling malls and working with mall personnel.

It was because of monitoring efforts, Ryder said Friday, that Nassau police had dozens of officers in place at Green Acres Mall ahead of the planned takeover.

That presence included officers on horseback, canine teams and officers piloting drones overhead.

"They're getting off buses and trains. They're masked up. ... They're going to trash the place," Ryder said.

The police commissioner said they would arrest those responsible for organizing the takeover. "Just like we've made arrests for swatting, we're going to make an arrest here," he said.

Ryder said intelligence officers were intercepting online correspondence in real time, which he said helped police prevent most of those gathering from entering the mall to begin with.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.