Police in Westchester County are on high alert after online threats of massive teen takeovers at suburban shopping meccas — just days after as many as 200 punks trashed a Bronx mall.
County cops and police in some of Westchester’s largest cities said they’re ready to respond should the mayhem at the Mall at Bay Plaza Monday be repeated in the Big Apple’s northern ‘burbs, while public schools are on recess.
“We are aware of a series of social media posts regarding a possible ‘teen takeover’ here in New Rochelle,” cops in that city said Tuesday. “Any activity that jeopardizes residents, businesses or visitors to New Rochelle will be swiftly addressed to the fullest extent of the law.”
Other police departments also had their guard up, including Yonkers, which is home to the Cross County Shopping Center and Cross County Mall just north of New York City.
“We have long-established, well-practiced procedures in place for situations like this,” Yonkers police said on Facebook. “These protocols have been developed, refined, and exercised over time, and we are fully prepared to respond to any level of unrest.”
Yonkers police, the largest department in Westchester, also warned they would respond “with seriousness, resolve and zero hesitation.”
Takeovers are stunts organized online on social media platforms like TikTok, with posters encouraging others to gather in large numbers to storm certain shopping centers at the same time.
The NYPD said 18 people — all but one of them under the age of 18 — were charged following the assault on the Bronx mall by the baby-faced horde on President’s Day.
As many as 200 rowdy teens stormed the mall, flipping displays, hurling furniture and trying to snatch merchandise during the harrowing incident, according to police and witnesses.
Cops across Westchester said they don’t want to see a similar stunt in the northern suburbs.
“We are asking teens to take our advice about takeovers: do not participate in this kind of activity,” Westchester County Public Safety Commissioner Terrance Raynor said on Facebook.
“You can get hurt, other people can get hurt and you can be subject to arrest,” Raynor added. “We are also urging parents to speak with their children and advise them to ignore this dangerous ‘challenge’ being presented to youths via social media.”
