Mahwah police were contacted by Ramapo College Public Safety at 5:46 p.m. after someone reported hearing a woman scream, “He has a gun,” near the Berrie Center, Capt. Michael Blondin said.
Officers established a perimeter and the campus was placed on lockdown because of the nature of the call, police said. Additional resources were requested as officers began searching the area.
Police eventually contacted the original caller, who had left the area out of concern, according to Blondin. She told officers she heard a woman yell, “He has a gun,” but did not see anyone with a weapon.
No other reports of an armed person were received, police said. Still, officers decided to clear all buildings in the immediate area out of an abundance of caution, deploying tactical teams to conduct the searches.
Officers also responded to several calls about suspicious circumstances on campus stemming from the initial report, authorities said. Those reports were also unfounded.
The searches were completed around 8 p.m. and the lockdown was lifted, police said. Investigators found there had been no active threat on campus and determined the original call to Public Safety had been made with good intentions.
Ramsey and Upper Saddle River police assisted Mahwah officers during the response.
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