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No one was hurt and no major property damage was reported in the Saturday night flareup, which witnesses said quickly ended once borough police began making arrests.
Police had been "having weekend problems with large numbers of juveniles" at the mall, a veteran law enforcement officer said Sunday.
Saturday's trouble began when some began resisting efforts by a security guard and a few Paramus officers to move a large crowd from in front of the AMC theaters shortly before the 9:30 p.m. closing time, sources said.
"From there, it just erupted," one said.
Police from Maywood, Rochelle Park and River Edge were among mutual aid responders who converged on the mall, along with their borough colleagues and Bergen County sheriff's officers, witnesses said.
Cellphone video shows crowds gathering to watch while others walk away. Some begin to panic when several from the mob come running past.
"I got pushed into a wall from the stampede trying to run from the cops," said a patron who was there to pick up his daughter. "It was scary as hell."
Order was restored in under a half-hour and the mall was cleared by 10 p.m., witnesses said.
Five people were taken away in handcuffs, they said. It was unclear whether they are adults facing criminal charges or juveniles who would be issued delinquency complaints.
A message seeking clarification was left for Paramus Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg.
The Westfield Garden State Plaza was closed Sunday because of Bergen County blue laws.
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