DEPTFORD, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Teens must now be accompanied by an adult chaperone on weekend evenings at the Deptford Mall.
A robust retail shopping scene is the lifeblood of Deptford’s local economy, and Mayor Paul Medany said he wants to be proactive in preventing theft and any other kind of nuisance behavior.
“We know people are stealing, regretfully, but we want them to know: You come to Deptford, you’re going to get caught and you’re going to get punished,” he said.
Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 25 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, starting at 5 p.m. The over-25 adult can supervise up to four minors.
There will also be more police on patrol at the mall.
Medany said there wasn’t a specific incident that prompted the strict policy, but after a meeting with police and mall security, they all decided a curfew would be the best way to avoid potential problems moving forward.
“I want to be proactive,” he said. “I don’t want any issues or problems. I don’t want to wait until something happens and then we react to it.”
Medany noted there haven’t been any arrests either. “We stemmed any issues. We go up to the kids and tell them ‘Listen, you’re misbehaving and you have to leave.’”
Other malls, including Cherry Hill Mall and the Fashion District in Philadelphia, have used similar policies off and on in the past.
The whole country is dealing with a rise in retail theft and social media meetups that sometimes get out of hand, Medany added, which he finds unacceptable. He said he wants the township and local businesses to know that they will “aggressively” work to curb retail theft.
“Don’t come to the Deptford Mall and do something stupid,” he warned.