Armed Robbery, Shooting, Kidnapping Reports At East Brunswick Carnival: Cops

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - East Brunswick police are investigating reports of a shooting, armed robbery and possible kidnapping during a carnival at a Central Jersey mall on Saturday evening, authorities said.

East Brunswick police responded to the site of the LEAD Fest Carnival fairgrounds at the Brunswick Square Mall (755 Highway 18) for several “disturbances,” including a report of festival goers running from the sound of gunshots near Habit Burger on the other side of the mall, police said in a statement Sunday afternoon. A search of the area found no victims or shooting evidence, though a spent shell casing was found in the parking lot later that evening, police said.

The LEAD Fest Carnival is a multi-day family fun “youth carnival experience” hosted by LEAD (Law Enforcement Against Drugs), a nonprofit “committed to protecting our youth and communities from the proliferation of drugs, drug-related crimes, peer to peer/cyberbullying and violence, according to the organization’s website. The East Brunswick leg of the statewide fest is scheduled for May 12 to 29. Other locations include Voorhees, Westfield, Eatontown and West Windsor.

A parent also reported an armed robbery at the East Brunswick fair on Saturday evening, alleging that three minors were walking from Habit Burger near Cindy Way when a suspect around 15 years old brandished a handgun and demanded their sneakers, police said. The suspect, who was reportedly wearing a ski mask, fled the area with the sneakers. There were no reported injuries in connection with the robbery, police said.

A report of a female victim yelling that she was being kidnapped from inside a black pickup truck in the mall parking lot is also being investigated by police. There were no reports of a missing person or other witnesses to the reported event as of Sunday, police said.

All three incidents are currently under investigation. Those with information on any of the incidents are urged to call the East Brunswick Police Department Tip Line at 732-4EB-TIPS or email tips@ebpd.net.

As of Sunday afternoon, anyone under 18 must purchase an online Mega Pass ticket or enter the carnival with an adult over 21 years old after 5 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, festival organizers said in a Facebook statement.

“We recognized the first night that people were paying to hang out," LEAD Executive Director Nick DeMauro told Patch of the chaperone decision.

DeMauro added that, though the incidents were not directly connected to the carnival (Habit Burger is on the other side of the mall and the kidnapping report came after the festivities ended), safety precautions like metal detectors and a fence to control entry access have been in use throughout the event to keep festival goers safe.

Additional East Brunswick police officers will be stationed in and around the festival grounds following last weekend's events, DeMauro said.

The festival is set to continue Wednesday from 5 to 11 p.m. For tickets and more information, click here.