Dispute At NJ Victoria’s Secret Caught On Video; Outcry Follows

SHORT HILLS, NJ — A confrontation between two women shopping at a Victoria’s Secret store in New Jersey left many people with questions, including whether race played a role in authorities' response, after video footage hit the internet.

According to the Millburn Police Department, the situation unfolded around 12:45 p.m. on Saturday at the Mall At Short Hills, when two women who didn’t know each other got into a “confrontational dispute.”

Video footage shared online – which only captures part of the incident – shows one woman approach the other with a raised hand. As the other woman tries to move out of the way, exclaiming “Oh my god,” the first woman backs away with a distraught expression, covering her face with her hands.

“She just tried to run and hit me!” the second woman exclaims.

“No, I didn’t!” the first woman insists.

The first woman then squats down on the floor of the store, crying.

“I didn’t try to hit you,” she repeats. “Please don’t record me … Don’t record my mental breakdown … Please, please, please!”

As the woman continues to plead to be taken off camera – and the second woman asks for security to be called – a bystander asks why the woman filming doesn’t just “walk away.”

“Why doesn’t she walk away from ME?” she disagrees, continuing to film as the first woman lays down on the floor near the cash registers. Meanwhile, store staff continue to ring up purchases for other customers nearby, who stare straight ahead in an apparent attempt to ignore the dispute.

Ensuing footage shows the distraught woman scream at the other woman to "Get her phone away" and try to follow her across the store. It takes several minutes before store security and police arrive on the scene, bringing an end to the encounter.

Both women later gave officers different accounts of what happened, Millburn police said.

“Upon arriving, the officers first spoke with the woman who had called the police, which is standard procedure in cases like this,” authorities said. “She was very emotionally distraught and told the officers that she was having a 'panic attack' because the other woman was videoing the dispute with her cellphone.”

The woman also told officers that she was concerned she’d lose her job if the video was released to the public, police said.

“The officers then spoke to the other woman involved, who said that she was videoing the matter to protect herself from false accusations,” Millburn police said. “She told the officers that the first woman had lunged at her and attempted to strike her unsuccessfully.”

According to Millburn police, the woman didn’t claim she was actually struck. Several other bystanders, including store employees, said they didn’t see anyone physically struck.

Here’s what happened next, police said:

“The second woman who was videoing much of the incident asked the officers to remove the first woman from the mall because she felt threatened. The officers explained that they did not have the authority to do that because they had no indication that an arrestable offense or crime had been committed. The officers offered to escort the second woman to her car … she said it wasn’t necessary. They advised her that she could file a complaint at the Millburn court and police department if she so desired.”

The woman went to Millburn police headquarters on Monday and said she would be filing a complaint against the officers because she was dissatisfied with how they handled the situation.

However, as of Tuesday, no complaint has been filed, police said.

Although police didn’t give any racial descriptions in their statement, many online commenters have since questioned whether race played a role in police or store security officers’ response; the woman filming the encounter is Black and the other woman is white.

Victoria’s Secret released a statement about the incident:

“Associate and customer safety is our top priority, and we are committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all. The video taken in our store is unsettling and we have initiated a full investigation. Our associates followed our protocols and immediately called our Emergency Operations Center as well as mall security for support during the altercation between our customers. We are dedicated to continuing this critical conversation and demonstrating our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through our actions and our words.”

It wasn’t good enough for many people.

“You need to fix this statement,” one person wrote. “This was not an ‘altercation between customers.’ This was a crazy white woman attacking a Black woman, and the Black woman recording the crazy white woman in order to protect herself. Meanwhile your employees did nothing. Do better.”

“It appears your associates did everything they could to comfort the aggressor in this situation while ignoring the real victim,” another person stated.

Other comments seen online included:

• “If a Black woman was in the store carrying on that way. Your associates would have thrown her out. I’ve personally seen your associates throw out young Black teenagers because you THOUGHT they were ABOUT to steal.”
• “You need to try again and reissue another statement without the word ‘altercation’ before #BoycottVictoriaSecret becomes the new trend. You miss the mark. There was one aggressor in the video. The [Black woman] recorded to protect herself without engaging.”
• “Judging from the footage, I think their associates were doing alright. I used to work in retail, we'd avoid taking any side, and our job isn't security. The associates remained composed, and while avoiding physical touch, they were still trying to block the way of the aggressor.”
• “Listen, all I saw was the video and there’s a possibility there’s more stuff I don’t know, but my whole thing is how was that whole situation allowed to go on for as long as it did and nobody asked the lady freaking out to leave the store?”

According to the Millburn Police Department, its Internal Affairs Division has launched an investigation into the officers’ actions.

“No disciplinary action has been taken against the officers at this time,” police said Tuesday.

“At this time, our department is not aware of any actual complaints that have been filed against either party in this matter,” authorities continued. “Pending further review, the Millburn Police Department believes our officers acted professionally and capably in defusing the situation and restoring calm and order in accordance with their training and our standard procedures.”

“As stated earlier, the investigation into the incident will continue and appropriate action, if any, will be taken at the conclusion,” police said.

Send news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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