HUNTERSVILLE — Birkdale Village management will prohibit unaccompanied minors on the property after 6 p.m. starting this Friday, following a series of disturbances last Saturday night.
The new policy comes after groups of children and teenagers were filmed blocking traffic and engaging in rowdy behavior at the Huntersville shopping center.
Huntersville Police Chief Brian Vaughn informed town leaders during a Tuesday update that he believes the Saturday night disturbances were part of an organized event.
Videos from the incident, which have since gone viral, showed youths climbing on top of vehicles and harassing visitors.
Jordan Miller, a community member, described the scene to town commissioners on Tuesday night while recounting a Valentine’s Day dinner he attempted to have with his girlfriend. Miller said the environment was disrupted by groups of youths.
“The kids were making loud noises, popping balloons, and then they would run into the street and pretend that it was a gunshot to try and scare everyone,” Miller said.
Miller also noted that some of the individuals involved claimed they would return to the property in the future.
Maryann Turetsky, a local resident, also witnessed the behavior and described the Saturday evening as “horrendous.” She noted that the incidents were being recorded and shared on social media.
“They got on top of cars and were twerking, they filmed that, now Birkdale is called twerkdale, that’s gone viral,” Turetsky said.
Turetsky, a New York native who moved to the area 16 years ago, said the current state of the shopping center differs greatly from her early impressions.
She recalled a time when the area from the entrance to the movie theater was mostly open green space. “It’s not like that anymore, now it’s a big mess,” Turetsky said.
Chief Vaughn explained that his department has a history of coordinating with Birkdale Village to manage disturbances.
The department previously utilized extra patrols during the last holiday season to address issues with unaccompanied minors.
“At the end of the year, we discontinued those extra patrols because we saw the positive impact it was having,” Vaughn said.
Following the events of last Saturday, the chief said management has requested a return to increased security measures. “They have resumed wanting to hire off-duty officers again,” Vaughn said.
Now that the policy is in place, Miller said he intends to visit Birkdale Village again this upcoming weekend to see if conditions have improved. “I just think that if things don’t change by the end of the year, I don’t think it’s gonna be what it was anymore,” Miller said.
(VIDEO: Authorities tracking down reckless e-bike riders causing chaos in Birkdale Village)
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
