ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Flashing lights and a large law enforcement presence at the Orange Park Mall over the Fourth of July weekend, after the Clay County Sheriff’s Office warned they were on high alert for a large gathering Saturday night.
The show of force drew immediate response on social media, including parents.
“This is a generation thing where kids meet up to fight at, but these days it’s gotten worse,” one Orange Park mom named Brittany told Action News Jax Sunday.
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Action News Jax has extensively covered past incidents at the mall, including a February 2023 disturbance where deputies broke up a crowd of more than 2,000 teens involved in fights and climbing on cars.
Action News Jax spoke to one Orange Park mom named Brittany Sunday morning who has a teenage son herself. Brittany said she feels many of the mall’s reputation problems might be solved by parents keeping closer track of their kids’ whereabouts.
“Until they can behave and understand what you can and what you cannot do at the mall, I don’t even believe that they should be up here without a parent,” Brittany said.
Meanwhile, Terri Ellis, whose daughter is all grown now, said she thinks the mall could also benefit from some added security.
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“I don’t know if there’s any recreational things that we can get set up for the kids,” Ellis suggested. “More security will help at the mall, of course. But I’ve never had any problems at the mall.”
Action News Jax also reached out to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office for a statement or interview regarding Saturday night’s commotion, but has yet to hear back.
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