WESTCHESTER COUNTY, New York (WABC) — Westchester County police say they are monitoring social media for posts promoting potential “takeover” events in local malls, shopping centers and other public spaces, following a large and disruptive gathering in the Bronx earlier this week.
There are fears that more “mall takeovers” are spreading beyond the Bronx and Westchester.
Police are closely monitoring social media after a massive group of teens swarmed a shopping center in Co-Op City on Presidents Day — leaving damage behind and officers scrambling.
Now, departments across the country are on alert, determined to stop the next gathering before it begins.
The Cross County Center in Yonkers is an outdoor mall that is one of the locations on a list for the so-called takeovers after Monday’s melee in the Bronx resulted in 18 arrests.
“We want to make sure we’re staying on top, want to make sure we’re going to get there to either prevent the situation from happening or get there right when it starts to make sure it doesn’t grow,” said Yonkers Police Dept. Det. Lt. Frank Didomizio.
Yonkers police are on alert and monitoring the network of cameras blanketing the city, trying to prevent a repeat of the chaos at Bay Plaza where nearly 200 teens stormed the mall.
“Are we seeing large groups? Are we seeing different trends of foot traffic in malls and different areas surrounding that and different attractions inside the city of Yonkers, that we’re not used to seeing,” Didomizio said.
In White Plains, Westchester County’s real-time crime center has been gathering intelligence, scouring social media and compiling a list of potential locations — mainly in Yonkers, Mount Vernon and New Rochelle.
“We are asking teens to take our advice about takeovers: Do not participate in this kind of activity,” Public Safety Commissioner Terrance Raynor said. “You can get hurt, other people can get hurt and you can be subject to arrest. 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.”
Raynor encouraged local business owners and residents to immediately contact police if they see large groups of young people gathering in public areas such as malls, libraries, stores or other venues.
County officials say they are aware of social media posts naming various Westchester locations as potential takeover sites and are asking the public to report any additional tips.
If you have any information you can contact 800-898-TIPS (8477), e-mail your text or video tips to tips@wccops.com, or the WCPD Mobile App includes a “Submit a Tip” feature and is available for Apple and Android devices. Search Westchester County PD in the app store.
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