Police: ‘Physical altercation’ triggered partial evacuation at Garden State Plaza Mall

Police emphasized that there was no shooting at the mall and there was no danger to the public.

News 12 Staff

Apr 30, 2022, 9:07 PM

Updated 954 days ago

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Portions of the Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall were evacuated Saturday afternoon after what police said was a physical altercation there.
Police emphasized that there was no shooting at the mall and there was no danger to the public.
It was just after 4 p.m. when police received a call that multiple shots were fired at the mall.
They said a fight broke out between two men at the food court. During that altercation, a bottle fell to the ground, which caused shoppers to panic.
Stores went into lockdown mode and some shoppers ran out of the mall. This was not the first time in the past few weeks that there’s been chaos at a mall.
The Paramus police chief told News 12 New Jersey there hasn’t been a shooting at Garden State Plaza Mall since 2013. However, there was another physical altercation two weeks ago.
Police said the incident lasted an hour before the mall reopened.
Additional officers remained at the mall throughout the night.
The people involved left the area.
Paramus police detectives are investigating the incident.