Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city is rethinking how to manage its annual youth summer jobs fair after massive crowding and violence shut down this year’s event at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury over the weekend.

Wu hit back at criticism from her mayoral opponent Josh Kraft that a lack of security and poor planning exacerbated the chaotic situation, saying that police were present throughout the event, where interest from the city’s youth grows every year, and “sometimes things happen.”

“The same procedures have been followed as always,” Wu told reporters Monday. “Next year, we’re thinking about different ways to manage such a large appetite for this program, whether it’s signing up for certain time slots to avoid overcrowding or finding ways to make sure everyone has the time and space they need.”

Wu said 2,200 students attended this year’s fair, compared to 1,800 last year, and anticipates that interest will continue to grow. She said police officers were on site “as part of the programming, interviewing and providing access to jobs.”

A Boston Police officer called for assistance for a disturbance about halfway through this past Saturday’s FutureBOS Youth Jobs and Resource Fair, which was scheduled to take place at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to a BPD report.

Responding cops “observed about 1,500 youths inside and leaving the Lewis Center” upon arrival, “and a decision was made to close the event down,” the police report states.

A “large fight” broke out at the Malcolm X Boulevard exit, BPD said, and officers requested citywide emergency deployment teams to help clear the scene.

Kraft, son of the New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Wu’s main mayoral opponent, issued a statement Sunday bashing the mayor’s failure to ensure safety at the youth event, and piled on during a media availability on Monday.

Standing outside the Reggie Lewis Center, Kraft called on the mayor to schedule another job fair, show up for the event and ensure the city’s youth can safely sign up for summer jobs.

Kraft questioned how the event could have been “so poorly staffed” and why there was “no plan to manage the crowds,” given that Wu’s office had “boasted about how the turnout at this year’s job fair was going to be the biggest ever.”

He also raised a question about whether the mayor or her staff pulled a permit for the event.

“The mayor’s favorite talking point these days is her ‘safest city in America’ claim,” Kraft said. “But if your teenager can’t show up at a job fair without the fear of being hurt, how safe of a city do we really have?

“It is time for the mayor to turn her gaze away from the national spotlight and focus on running the city,” he said.

Wu, when asked about Kraft’s criticism, said, “We are doing everything we can to make sure young people have access to opportunity.”

“Sometimes things happen,” Wu said, “and we are working to make sure that all the protections and everything is in place so that whenever there’s an event in the future we can control for things like many, many young people wanting to sign up for summer jobs.”

Wu’s office said the city applied for a permit for the event, and it was approved by the Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing.

The mayor’s handling of the event was also criticized by Councilors Erin Murphy, who attended Saturday’s jobs fair, and Ed Flynn.

Murphy plans to file a late hearing order at this Wednesday’s City Council meeting, calling for “an expedited hearing to address incidents at the FutureBOS Youth Jobs and Resource Fair and to reschedule the event promptly.”

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“The event experienced significant overcrowding and insufficient security measures, including the absence of police details, which led to venue security personnel being overwhelmed during multiple altercations,” Murphy’s order states. “It is imperative to investigate the causes of these security lapses to prevent future occurrences and to ensure the safety and success of similar events.”

Flynn issued a statement Monday calling for additional police resources and administrative oversight of the city’s summer youth employment program. The city should transfer all duties and responsibilities for the program to the Boston Private Industry Council, he said.

“When we send our youth to city-run events, we should not have to consider the possibility of violence or kids returning home to their parents with injuries,” Flynn said. “The City of Boston is unable to effectively administer and manage this program.”

Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)