Lynn, MA McDonald’s Hit With Violent ‘Teen Takeover’

I grew up in Lynn, so when I saw the McDonald's on Boston Street video on X this weekend, I stopped scrolling. That place is part of my childhood. I remember being allowed to "walk down" to that McDonald's to spend the 5 five bucks my mother gave me when I was just 13 years-old.

Here's what we know. According to CBS, parents say a large group of teens left a nearby football game Friday night and headed for the McDonald's. One mom told the station there were somewhere between 40 and 75 kids inside. Videos on social media show some of them assaulting an employee. It was awful.

Lynn police say they're investigating a potential assault, and they're also looking into a second location where another takeover may have happened. They're asking anyone with video to come forward.

Teen Takeovers

What is a teen takeover? It's a large, spontaneous gathering of teenagers in public spaces organized rapidly through social media and messaging apps.

This isn't the first time, either. City Councilor Fred Hogan said in a statement that another teen takeover caused a disturbance at the Shoe City Classic basketball tournament this summer. He also said not every kid there was looking for trouble, but anyone caught on video committing a crime could face consequences.

Mayor Jared Nicholson said he's "deeply concerned" and that the city needs to support young people through youth-focused investments. School board member Brian Castellanos said kids need to understand their actions have consequences, but they also need positive places to go so this stuff doesn't happen in the first place.

Honestly, I think both of those things can be true at the same time. If you hurt someone who's just trying to do their job, there has to be accountability. But kids also need somewhere to be on a Friday night besides a parking lot and a phone camera.

These takeovers, where teens plan on social media to show up at the same place at the same time, have been popping up in cities all over the country this year. I just never pictured one happening at my McDonald's. This crap has to stop. It's animal behavior.