Niles fire department trims numbers allowed inside toy store

NILES — Business was brisk at the Toys R Us store in the Great East Plaza early this morning, enough so that a concerned shopper called for police, which prompted fire officials to reduce the number of customers allowed inside the store.

Niles Police Chief Bruce Simeone said his department called for fire officials to help store employees determine how many shoppers could be safely inside.

There was an “ungodly long” line of customers waiting outside the store, and when the store opened its doors at midnight. At about the point where those customers went inside, the customer called for help, Simeone said.

Niles fire officials arrived at about 37 minutes after midnight and helped determine how many people could remain safely inside the store at one time, Simeone said.

After that, store officials only permitted a customer to enter the store whenever a customer left, Simeone said. Fire officials left at about 2 a.m.

The Niles Police Department also received two calls for assistance regarding individuals causing a disturbance — at Toys R Us at about 1:20 a.m. and at the nearby Best Buy at about 2:20 a.m. The two men causing the disturbance were either gone when the officer arrived or left without further incident, Niles police reports say.