Coveted Swatch timepiece brought throngs, and police, to Roosevelt Field Mall Saturday
Nassau County police officers arrested several people at Roosevelt Field Mall Saturday after disorder erupted among people lined up to buy a new Swatch. Credit: /Hans Pennink
The Swatch store at the Roosevelt Field Mall temporarily closed on Saturday after the launch of a highly anticipated watch collaboration unraveled into disorder and multiple people were arrested, Nassau County police said.
The incident centered on “Royal Pop,” a colorful new line of pocket watches born of a partnership between Swatch and Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet. By early morning, hundreds of shoppers had converged on Roosevelt Field to be the first in the store to buy them, according to multiple Instagram posts.
A Nassau County police spokesman told Newsday that officers responded to the mall around 1:40 a.m. for disturbances and a large crowd gathering for the Swatch release.
"Several hundred individuals gathered, and disorderly conditions developed after individuals in the crowd refused numerous lawful orders by police and attempted to push past officers," police said in a statement Saturday night.
Police arrested four people, including one on a second-degree assault charge, police said.
"The crowd was dispersed and a visible police presence was maintained," a police spokesman said. "The Nassau County Police Department will not tolerate disorderly behavior and takes the necessary steps to maintain public safety."
Representatives of the mall and Swatch store could not be reached for comment.
Multiple social media posts show more than a dozen Nassau police officers holding back and using self-defense spray on a shouting crowd near a mall entrance.
One watch influencer, Chris Salih, said in an Instagram video that there was a “mob” of 500 people there for the event.
“A lot of people were pushing each other, there were fights, there were people arrested and there was pepper spray used by the police,” Salih said in the post.
Swatch said in Facebook posts Saturday morning that multiple U.S. locations, including the store in Roosevelt Field, were closed “in view of public safety considerations.”
Similar scenes played out across the country, including in New York City, according to multiple media reports.
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