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Bronx officials try to rein in social media 'takeovers' after winter events turn chaotic
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Apr 7, 2026
Modified Apr 7, 2026
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Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Apr 7, 2026
Modified Apr 7, 2026
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For property owners and police, it’s the stuff of nightmares: Hundreds of teenagers descending on a space, running in all directions, causing chaos.
That’s what happened at a Bronx mall on Presidents Day in February — leading police to arrest 18 people in a frantic scene that was shared all over social media. Law enforcement officials said the “takeover” was planned online, drawing nearly 500 young people to join the fray on their day off from school. Just a week later, a massive snowball fight in Washington Square Park ended in police officers getting pelted and people getting arrested.
In anticipation of spring break and the warmer weather of summer, the Bronx district attorney and other elected officials are asking social media companies to help prevent similar plans from taking shape on their platforms.
“While these platforms provide valuable ways to connect, they can also be misused to incite violence, encourage illegal activity or put communities at risk,” Bronx DA Darcel Clark wrote in a recent letter to executives at TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and YouTube.
New York City public school students off from April 2 through 10 and Clark is urging the companies’ leaders to “take proactive measures” to prevent the spread of content that might encourage takeovers or riots. She asked that they monitor and remove such posts, educate users — especially minors — on the legal consequences and safety risks of such activities, suspend social media privileges for organizers, and work with local law enforcement and community groups to identify trends in such events.
The letter was also signed by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, City Councilmember Kevin Riley, state Sen. Jamaal Bailey, state Assemblymember Michael Benedetto and Eric Shalem, vice president of the company that owns the Mall at Bay Plaza.
The social media companies did not immediately respond to inquiries from Gothamist.
Clark said she had an "insightful and productive" meeting with leaders from TikTok Tuesday and said she looks forward to hearing from YouTube, Snapchat and Meta.
“ I think these companies need to be held responsible for the things that happen on their platform,” said Kenny Joseph, an associate computer science professor at the University of Buffalo's Department of AI and Society. But he said enforcement is easier on some platforms than others — on X, for example, moderators only have to find specific language in a tweet, but on TikTok, they have to spend time scouring a whole video.
Clark said the Bay Plaza mall incident was made possible “because of the misuse of social media hashtags.” While no one was injured, videos posted online showed terrified customers caught among groups of young people throwing chairs inside the mall’s food courts, jumping on store counters and running in different directions outside the complex. Those arrested — 17 teenagers and one adult — were charged with rioting or unlawful assembly, according to police.
Additional takeovers were planned and circulated in the following days, but never materialized, according to the DA’s office.
The Bronx was not the only borough to be rocked by big, sudden gatherings of troublesome teens in the past several months.
As temperatures reached 70 degrees on March 9, hundreds of young people descended on Brooklyn Bridge park in response to a similar social media callout, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported. No one was injured during the frenzy, but videos online showed police wrestling some of the attendees to the ground as large mobs gathered around. Police were eventually able to clear out the crowds, and closed Pier 2 for the rest of the evening, according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Officials said multiple individuals were arrested, and said the 84th Precinct — which encompasses Brooklyn Bridge Park and surrounding neighborhoods — has deployed extra officers for the week of spring break.
Other social media-fueled meetups in different parts of the city have gone viral for causing mayhem, including the Washington Square Park snowball fight and Twitch star Kai Cenat’s Union Square gaming giveaway in 2023. Both incidents resulted in chaos and ended in several arrests.
“ Social media makes everything bigger and bigger, but often not better, especially in this context,” said Joseph, the professor. He added that the issue brings up important questions about how to encourage young people to get together in person without devolving into chaos and destruction.
Several Jersey Shore towns have also struggled with this phenomenon and are bracing for a summer of such impromptu gatherings. Local officials have tried to curb opportunities for teen takeovers by implementing curfews on the boardwalk, requiring parents to accompany minors in hotel rooms and bolstering their police presence.
“Like many jurisdictions, we are aware of the role social media can play in organizing gatherings,” Steven Mikulski, Wildwood’s deputy mayor and commissioner of public safety, wrote in an email. “We monitor activity as appropriate and address issues when they arise through established legal and enforcement channels.”
“Trying to help young people think about those kinds of consequences, both online and offline, is probably something that platforms could do better– and that we could do better at, collectively,” Joseph said.
This story has been updated to include new information from the D.A.'s office.
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Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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