Photo: KENA BETANCUR / AFP / Getty Images
The American Dream mall in New Jersey was briefly evacuated on Black Friday, November 24, 2023, after someone called in a bomb threat, according to the New Jersey State Police and the FBI.
The threat was received around 8:10 a.m. by the mall's security office, which notified the authorities and initiated an evacuation of the mall's 3.3 million square feet of retail and entertainment space.
The New Jersey State Police's Bomb Unit and K-9 Unit, along with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, responded to the scene and conducted a sweep of the mall. No explosive device was found and the threat was deemed not credible.
The mall reopened around 9:30 a.m. and resumed normal operations, with shoppers and employees returning to the mall. No injuries or damages were reported.
The investigation into the source and motive of the threat is ongoing, and no arrests have been made as of yet. Anyone with information is urged to contact the New Jersey State Police at 609-882-2000 or the FBI at 973-792-3000.
The American Dream mall, which opened in October 2023, is one of the largest and most expensive malls in the U.S., featuring more than 450 stores, restaurants, and attractions, including an indoor ski slope, a water park, and a Nickelodeon theme park.
The bomb threat at the mall comes amid a surge of bomb incidents and bomb-making activities in the U.S., according to the Justice Department and the FBI. Some of the factors that may contribute to this trend are the availability of online instructions, the rise of domestic extremism, and the use of social media to spread propaganda and incite violence.