Flossmoor police Chief Carl Estelle said his department was helping a neigbhoring community shut down a party in late May when he heard the same group, involving more than 300 teenagers, had moved to a Flossmoor residence, where teens were blocking streets and disturbing neighbors.
Teens told officers that night they heard of the new location through word of mouth and social media, Estelle said.
Since that night, Estelle said there have been three other disruptive large gatherings, not limited to teens. Flossmoor police have taken preventative measures, but he said it’s almost impossible to prepare for every party that gets out of control.
“We could have 10 parties going on at any given time,” Estelle said. “So long as there’s no problems, no incidents, there’s no reason for us to be there to monitor it or do anything, but when one gets out of control and laws are violated and codes are violated, those are the ones that we’re usually called to by our community members.”
After a Fourth of July party brought about 150 to 200 vehicles parked on both sides of Oak Lane Road, blocking emergency vehicles, residents and tow trucks from accessing the street, his department placed no parking signs on both sides of the street before a party the following weekend.
Police restricted street access to the neighborhood and issued a letter to residents informing them of the changes.
Estelle also said the Fire and Police departments responded in June to a gathering involving about 200 people at a local business, which was in violation of occupancy codes and allowed uses for the business.
Such gatherings are not unique to Flossmoor, Estelle said. These incidents have become commonly known as “teen takeovers” in the Chicago area, and Estelle said he expects similar large gatherings, including those that don’t involve teens, to increase.
He said these gatherings often start as smaller parties but quickly grow out of control through social media and texting, which can lead to unsafe behavior and public disturbances.
Orland Park police responded in April to a gathering of more than 200 teenagers at a SkyZone trampoline park.
More Top Picks Badmintons
Tinley Park officials increased security at public events following a 2023 gathering that left an officer needing hospital treatment and five youths with citations for fighting in public.
Last year, officials canceled the Posen Park Festival for the foreseeable future due to a fight that drew a couple hundred teenagers and young adults, requiring over two hours of assistance from neighboring police departments, according to Posen police Chief William Alexander.
Alexander said the festival will remain closed each year until they see that events in neighboring areas go well.
“It’s unfortunate,” Alexander said. “We can no longer host events anymore because we’re such a small agency.”
He said large groups of teens get on social media and it happens in minutes.
“By the time we realize, it’s too late,” Alexander said.
He said the event led to hundreds of teens “running up and down the streets and fighting in front yards.” He said some teens threw bricks at the windows of a Dunkin Donuts shop. When officers asked teens where they were from, most of them gave locations outside of Posen, which meant waiting on Ubers and rides for everyone, Alexander said.
Orland Park police Cmdr. Scott Lefko said when his department responded to hundreds of teenagers starting fights at the trampoline park in April, he had to call in additional resources, due to the “sheer volume of people.”
Juveniles ran into other businesses, bringing disruption there too, he said, and his department helped teens order Uber rides and organize a parent pick-up location.
“I get it, they’re looking for somethig to do, but when you’re causing problems and fighting and injuring, innocent people that are just there to have a good time, that becomes the issue,” Lefko said.
Lefko said he’s also concerned about the teens involved.
“That just impedes on the safety of people in town, people visiting town, people visiting businesses, and it’s just an overall concern for the community.”
Lefko said he’s heard of plans for similar events, but those have not materialized, he said.
He said Orland Park police have not responded to any large gatherings since Skyzone, but he said officers are “absolutely” prepared for any future incidents.
In preparation, he said, officers gather information about similar events, along with protests and other large gatherings through social media to gauge whether the event could be destructive, violent or require additional personnel.
Lefko also said Orland Park police keep in contact with businesses to prepare them for teen takeovers and other large crowds, such as knowing to lock their doors or notify the police.
“If we see something, we try to keep an eye on it and, you know, again, prepare for it,” Lefko said. “But some of it’s just kids talking or maybe it’s a diversion, I don’t know.”
Other teen supervision programs are in place, Lefko said, such as the Orland Square mall’s youth supervision program, where individuals under 18 are required to be with an adult over 21 after 3 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and “other select days as deemed appropriate by shopping center management,” according to the mall’s website.
This program wasn’t in response to any particular teen gathering, Lefko said, but aims to prevent large disruptive teen gatherings.
Other malls in the south suburbs have implemented similar protocols, such as Chicago Ridge Mall’s youth supervision policy, which was extended in December 2024 when a prank noise that sounded like gunfire led to a mall evacuation.
Chicago officials have discussed deploying other tools, such as earlier curfews, to address “teen takeovers,” as the phenomenon has become more common in neighborhoods.
In Naperville, multiple teen gatherings led to citations and felony charges, including the arrest of a 14-year old carrying a loaded handgun in June.
More Top Picks Page 2
Glen Ellyn announced increased security in July following hundreds of teenagers showing up to a pool with cannabis, alcohol and fireworks.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has rejected calls for an earlier curfew, telling reporters in early April that he was more interested in how to “invest in young people and create more healthy safe spaces for them” as a solution.