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The caller, federal authorities said today, is a 19-year-old security guard with the National Basketball Association who now faces charges of making several bomb threats.
José Quesada, of Elizabeth, is officially charged with “willfully providing false information indicating that malicious damage of a building or vehicle would take place.”
Quesada was hired to provide office security for the National Basketball NBA Properties office, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.
Federal authorities said Quesada made several calls to the NBA office from his cell phone over a three-day period beginning July 26, 2010, leaving several voicemail messages “threatening to blow up the building and kill people.”
“There’s a bomb outside the complex in the parking lot. I put a bomb outside in the bush,” the caller said.
In one instance, the call forced evacuation of the building while law enforcement officers and K-9 units searched the area for hours. No explosive devices were found.
Additional security measures were also put in place.
“A bomb threat is not a prank,” Fishman said. “It is a federal crime. There is nothing amusing about scaring people and wasting the valuable time and resources of those responsible for keeping us safe.”
Fishman credited special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, and the Secaucus Police Department for catching the suspect.
He also praised the Hudson County and Secaucus Offices of Emergency Management for their response.
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