Chaos as 'herd' of unruly teens forces shutdown of family carnival fundraiser in well-heeled New Jersey suburb

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:41, 7 May 2026 | Updated: 20:41, 7 May 2026 A New Jersey carnival was forced to shut down after unruly teens unleashed chaos at the family-friendly event. Police responded to the annual Maple Shade Tigers Youth Football Carnival at JFK Memorial Field in Maple Shade on Friday following reports of a large gathering of teenagers.  The carnival, scheduled to run from April 28 to May 2, is an annual fundraising event for the sports program, about 15 miles outside Philadelphia.  Footage on social media showed massive groups of youngsters and brawls breaking out on the carnival grounds on the second-to-last night of the fundraiser.  'During the course of the evening, several fights broke out, and the event became overwhelmed with unsupervised juveniles,' Maple Shade Police said in a statement. Officers said they faced hostility as they worked to control the crowd and were forced to shut down the event.  'They were cursing at police officers. They were clearly trying to provoke physical confrontations with cops,' Maple Shade Police Lt. Daniel O'Brien told 6ABC.   One witness described the scene as 'just herds of kids walking out. Cops escorting them out.' The annual Maple Shade Tigers Youth Football Carnival was forced to shut down after 'several fights broke out, and the event became overwhelmed with unsupervised juveniles' Footage on social media showed massive groups of youngsters and brawls breaking out on the carnival grounds on the second-to-last night of the fundraiser As a result of the incident, the carnival was closed for the remainder of the evening on Friday, police said. While there were reports circulating online about the presence of weapons, police were not able to substantiate those claims. However, out of an abundance of caution, officials decided to cancel the carnival on Saturday, preventing the program from raking in thousands of dollars. 'From the outset of this event, Township officials, the Maple Shade Police Department, and the Maple Shade Tigers Youth Football organization have worked in close coordination with a shared commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all attendees,' officials from the town, police department and football organization said in a joint statement. 'Despite these proactive efforts, the circumstances that developed this evening required immediate action.' The officials added, 'We recognize that this decision is not made lightly. The Maple Shade Tigers Youth Football Carnival is a valued tradition that supports a dedicated youth organization and brings the community together each year.  'We understand the disappointment this may cause residents, families, and volunteers who look forward to this event.' Police told the local news station that several teens had been charged, but did not provide any further details.  Maple Shade Police Lt. Daniel O'Brien said officers faced hostility as they worked to control the crowd The carnival, scheduled to run from April 28 to May 2, is an annual fundraising event for the sports program, about 15 miles outside Philadelphia The Daily Mail contacted the Maple Shade Police Department for additional information. In January, outgoing Governor Phil Murphy signed a law that allows police to punish the parents of juveniles involved in public disturbances. Maple Shade police said they are exploring that option and are reviewing video to identify the suspects and their guardians.  'If your kid is leaving the house with a face mask to go to a carnival, I think that should be a sign that they might be getting themselves into trouble,' O'Brien said.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.