With gangs of minors committing violence across New Jersey, a mall in The Garden State recently implemented a slew of rules, forcing adults to accompany minors during the weekends.
Chaperones age 25 or older are mandated to travel with children attending the Deptford Mall in New Jersey from Friday-Sunday weekly. The adults are held responsible for the kids’ actions, according to BizPac Review.
Children and teenagers under the age of 18 are required to have adult chaperones while visiting the Deptford Mall in New Jersey, on weekends. The rule isn’t new but is being reinforced after reports of rowdy teens at the mall. @K_Hua has reactions.https://t.co/Wb53hfbMh9
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) January 17, 2024
Fox News noted that the mall has reintroduced a policy requiring minors to travel with an adult during the evening weekend hours.
“The Deptford Mall stated they are reinforcing a ‘Parental Escort Policy’ that requires children and teens under 18 years old to be accompanied by an adult during the evening weekend hours,” the outlet reported.
The Deptford Township Police Department released a statement indicating that groups of four underage individuals traveling without an adult 25 years of age or older would be limited. Individuals under 18 would be barred from entering the mall in New Jersey if not accompanied by an adult during the nightly weekend hours.
Law enforcement in The Garden State is handling the implementation of such policies seriously, noting that they will be “strictly” enforced. Chaperones and minors traveling to malls in New Jersey will soon be forced to prove their ages.
“Last year, one of New Jersey’s biggest shopping malls began requiring shoppers under the age of 18 to be accompanied by an adult on weekend nights amid an increase in disruptive behavior,” Fox News noted. “The Deptford Mall joins several other businesses across the country cracking down on minors being inside their establishments without proper adult supervision.”
NBC10 Philadelphia reported that some of the mall’s measures include forcing unaccompanied minors to leave the building by 5 p.m. every Friday-Sunday and ensuring adults and children provide proof of age upon entry.
A resident of Deptford, New Jersey, pointed out that gangs of kids are creating chaos across the mall, vandalizing stores and consistently fighting with each other.
“Like they’re running wild and they’re making parents scared. Elderly people are scared. Young kids are scared they’re going to be jumped by these kids,” the resident told NBC10 Philadelphia
