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42°
Thursday, nov 28
Tag:
Swatting
Politics
Bomb Threats, Swatting Incidents Target Trump Cabinet Picks, Appointees, Spokesperson Says
Several of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet selections and administrative appointees were the targets threats the last two days, a spokesperson said, calling the acts "violent" and "un-American." According to a statement by the Trump-Vance Transition Team on Wednesday, Nov. 27, several individuals associated with the incoming administration were subjected to threats ranging from bomb scares to "swatting" incidents, in which false reports are made to dispatch emergency responders to someone's location. Law enforcement responded swiftly to ensure the safety of those targeted, the team s…
Police & Fire
'Welcome To Florida!' Sheriff Mocks NJ Swatting Caller Sentenced To Prison
A New Jersey man who made swatting calls to a Florida high school got more than his 15 minutes of fame: Two years behind bars. Brad Parga, of Guttenberg, who was 17 years old when he called in threats from the Garden State to Milton High School in Santa Rosa County on Feb. 14, 2022, said his reason for doing so was "to get on the news." On Nov. 14, 2024, Parga was sentenced to two years in the Florida Department of Corrections followed by three years of probation — and Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson didn’t miss the opportunity to give the cheeky update. "You know I'm about gran…
Police & Fire
Swatting
: Multiple Staffers At Saddle Brook School Receive Bogus Bomb Threat
Five different staff members at a Saddle Brook school received the same emailed bomb threat, said authorities who cleared the building, conducted a search and found nothing harmful. Members of the Bergen County Bomb Squad swept both inside and outside the K-6 Franklin Elementary School on Caldwell Avenue before giving the all-clear, Saddle Brook Schools Supt. Toni Violetti said Tuesday morning, Nov. 14. A SWAT team also responded to the 8 a.m. swatting incident, said Capt. John A. Zotollo, Jr., the officer in charge of the Saddle Brook Police Department. The Bergen County Prosecutor's…
Police & Fire
'PlugwalkJoe' Admits Unprecedented Twitter Hack That Included Musk, Kardashian, Biden: Feds
A 23-year-old British citizen who hacked the Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian and Bill Gates, among others, pleaded guilty in federal court to a host of related charges as part of a deal with the government. Joseph James O'Connor -- also known as "PlugwalkJoe" -- technically faces up to 77 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines but will likely get somewhere between 10 to 20 years when all is said and done. The Liverpudlian hacker admitted during a plea hearing in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday, May 9, that he committed one of the largest high-pro…
Police & Fire
911 Call Of Mother Shot, Siblings Held At Knifepoint Rattles Fair Lawn Neighborhood
The 911 call was chilling. A Fair Lawn police dispatcher heard what sounded like gunshots and people crying in the background as a caller claimed that he'd shot his mother and was holding two siblings at knifepoint. Fair Lawn patrol units and tactical officers immediately converged on Roosevelt Place at Berdan Avenue, where the call purportedly originated shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, April 27. They were joined by Elmwood Park police and Bergen County sheriff's officers. A call for a Bergen County Regional SWAT team was quickly canceled, however. That's because the call was bogus. A sw…
News
'
Swatted
'
Again
: Bogus Gun Call Empties Ridgewood HS
What proved to be a prank call about someone with a gun at Ridgewood High School triggered an emergency response on Monday. The school was cleared but everyone was allowed to return a short time after the late-morning "swatting" call on April 17 brought a number of tactical officers from the village and the Bergen County Regional SWAT team. Swatting is more than a nuisance. It unnecessarily causes anxiety and fear -- which, of course, is usually the intent. A Bergen County Regional SWAT Team responded to Ridgewood High School on Monday, April 17.Kyle Mazza/UNF News for DAILY VOICE It a…
News
Bogus Shooting Call Brings Police To Catholic Grammar School In Hillsdale
A bogus call of a shooting brought police to a Catholic grammar school in Bergen County. The "swatter" who made the false claim drew an immediate response to the preK3-8 St. John's Academy by police in Hillsdale mid-Monday evening (Jan. 23). They had help from, among others, their colleagues neighboring Park Ridge and River Vale, as well as the Bergen County Sheriff's Office. Hillsdale Police Chief Robert Fracaviglia confirmed the call as swatting. An investigation was launched. Swatting exacts a toll on innocent residents, which is usually the intent. Often public figures and celeb…
News
Swatting
: Bogus Call Brings Tactical Team To Elmwood Park Neighborhood
A "swatting" call brought a tactical unit to an Elmwood Park neighborhood and forced the evacuation of a trio of homes. A Bergen County Regional SWAT team was summoned after police received a call of an active shooter inside a Miller Avenue duplex off Speidel Avenue around 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14. The unit quickly cleared the house after police established a perimeter and evacuated duplexes on either side. Swatting exacts a toll on innocent residents, which is usually the intent. Often public figures and celebrities are the targets. Sometimes it's more an effort to tie up law enforcement,…
Police & Fire
Swatting Calls Prompt Lockdown At Half-Dozen NJ Schools
At least a half dozen high schools were locked down in New Jersey due to "swatting" calls, authorities said. The Hardyston Township Police Department responded to Wallkill Valley Regional High School after receiving several 911 calls of a potential active shooter situation around 9:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 14, the department said. Reports of an active shooter prompted a lockdown and a swift police response at the Sussex County high school. Police in Toms River, Ocean County, said on Facebook that they got a call about a possible shooting at High School North around 11 a.m. Friday. Other affe…
News
Swatting
: Shotgun Shooting Report In Fair Lawn Proves Bogus
A bogus call of a shotgun shooting brought Fair Lawn police to a quiet cul-de-sac. Officers who responded to the 11:45 p.m. call on Maywood Court off Morlot Avenue and Route 208 on Tuesday, Sept. 27, "rang the doorbell and spoke with all parties in the home," Police Sgt. Brian Metzler said. "They were also given permission to inspect the home with negative results to the call," he said. Schools have been locked down and innocent people frightened at the sight of SWAT teams because of "swatters." Earlier this year, one of them used bogus local phone number to call in a series of threats th…
News
GW
Bridge
Scare
: Claim Of 'Sniper' With Rifle On Lower Level Deemed A Prank
George Washington Bridge traffic was temporarily stopped Wednesday after police received a call from a purported sniper who claimed to be on the lower level. The 6:07 p.m. call turned out to be a "swatting" prank by someone from outside the country who claimed to have a rifle, Capt. Edward Young said. A Fort Lee dispatcher took the call, which came from a blocked number, Young said. Borough police then notified their colleagues at the Port Authority. A command center was established at the Port Authority building near the bridge, the captain said. "The caller eventually revealed that his …
News
Gotcha
! Garfield Man Nabbed After Series Of ‘Swatting’ Threats To Hackensack High School, PD
What seemed like an unending series of phone threats that plagued Hackensack High School and city police for nearly three months led to the arrest of a stock clerk from Garfield, authorities announced. Christopher Vitone, 38, was seized at his job after Hackensack Police Detectives Chris Lara-Nunez and Felix Katsaroans identified him as the "swatter" responsible for one of the calls, which was made to Hackensack police on June 16, Detective Capt. Michael Antista said Monday. An investigation was continuing into more than a dozen other bomb threats and false alarms to both the city Boar…
News
Prank Call Of Man Who Shot Cheating Wife Brings Police, SWAT To Maywood Neighborhood
The latest in a growing number of "swatting" incidents unnecessarily brought a squadron of police and tactical team members to an otherwise quiet Maywood neighborhood just off Route 17. A phony caller told police he had just shot his wife twice in the chest and was holding his neighbor at gunpoint after finding them having an affair shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday, Maywood Police Chief Terence R. Kenny said. Borough police converged on West Magnolia Avenue with their colleagues from Rochelle Park. A Bergen County Regional SWAT team was summoned. Police got the shocked residents out unharmed, …
News
Swatting
: Tactical Units, Hackensack Police Respond To Another Bogus Call From Same Number
Yet another in a series of bogus "emergency" calls brought a SWAT team and other responders to a Hackensack home while forcing yet another high school lockdown early Tuesday afternoon. The May 3 "swatter" used the same bogus local phone number that was connected to a series of threats to Hackensack High School in March, city Police Capt. Darrin DeWitt said. Students, staff and particularly parents and law enforcers had grown irritated by the recent string of calls, including one in which a threat was made to shoot up the school. This time, members of a Bergen County Regional SWAT Tea…
News
Swatting
: Bogus 'Dad Shot Mom' Call Brings Dumont Police, Tactical Team To Quiet Cul-De-Sac
The latest in a growing number of "swatting" incidents unnecessarily brought a SWAT unit to an otherwise quiet Dumont cul-de-sac. A phony caller told police his father had shot his mother and then locked himself in a room at a home behind the White Beeches Golf and Country Club around 3:30 p.m. Monday, April 25, investigators said. Borough police converged on the scene and summoned a Bergen County Regional SWAT team. A nearby school went into a brief lockdown and an EMS unit remained on standby. The homeowner emerged with two daughters and the house was checked as a precaution. The area w…
News
Swatting
: Wayne PD Probes Second Bogus Shooting Call In A Week From Same Neighborhood
A second bogus shooting call in the same neighborhood in a week was being investigated by Wayne police. Once again, police mobilized after getting the call late Sunday, Aug. 24 -- the same as they did on Easter Sunday. And once again, the call to the home on Gates Place off Valley Road and Berdan Avenue near the Point View Reservoir was a hoax and all residents were safe. An EMS unit remained on standby as a precaution. The same thing happened at a nearby Berdan Avenue home a week earlier: Bogus Call Of Two Shot In Wayne Home Frightens Neighbors, Annoys Law Enforcement Swatting incidents…
News
Swatting
: Bogus Call Of Two Shot In Wayne Home Frightens Neighbors, Annoys Law Enforcement
Wayne police mobilized after a call came in on Easter Sunday of two people shot in a local home and a barricaded subject refusing to come out. It was a hoax. Police entered the Berdan Avenue home near the Point View Reservoir after getting the call shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, Apr 17. There was no emergency and “all family members were safe,” the department said in an alert. Swatting incidents peaked nationwide about five or six years ago before subsiding somewhat. They’ve increased significantly over the past year or so. Swatting exacts a toll on innocent residents, which is usua…
News
ALL
Clear
: Bogus Call Locks Down Ramsey HS, Shelters Other Schools In Place
SWATTING AGAIN (UPDATE): A bogus call locked down Ramsey High School while sending at least one other area school into shelter, bringing a massive police response that stoked parents' fears. In the end, there was no shooter, no weapons, no arrests, no injuries. "Law enforcement investigated the threat with no credibility," read a 12:03 p.m. tweet from RHS on Thursday, April 7. "No report of any injury to students or staff. "RHS will be dismissing early today. Updates on dismissal procedures will be forthcoming." Meanwhile, RHS remained in lockdown status. An intensive search of the pr…
News
Update
: 'Jilted Boyfriend' Bomb Threats Plague NJ High Schools
It's becoming too familiar: A male caller tells police he's a jilted boyfriend who intends to shoot or blow up a school. Streets are closed, students are locked down or sheltered in place and bomb-sniffing dogs are brought in. Sometimes parents become fearful and converge on the school. It happened three times in Bergen County this past week. Hackensack High School was targeted twice, once prompting a brief evacuation and another time a shelter-in-place. It happened again on Friday, April 1 at Ridgewood High School. "A male caller called the main police number spoke with central dispatch…
News
Third Bogus Threat Of Month Briefly Locks Down Hackensack High School
Another day, another unfounded threat at Hackensack High School rattles and annoys people. Students, staff and particularly parents and law enforcers have grown irritated by a recent string of calls, including one that forced a brief lockdown on Wednesday, March 30 when someone reportedly threatened to shoot up the school. That makes three just this month alone -- all of which city police are investigating aggressively. Wednesday's lockdown ended quickly. No streets were closed nor injuries reported. "The school was checked by police personnel and the unspecified threat was deemed unfound…
Police & Fire
Update
: Unfounded Call Prompts Shelter In Place At Hackensack HS, Police Investigate
What turned out to be a bogus bomb threat prompted a temporary shelter in place at Hackensack High School. No devices or suspicious items were found during a search that began shortly before 1:30 p.m. on Monday, March 28, following the unspecified phone message to city police headquarters, Capt. Michael Antista said. The Bergen County Sheriff's Bomb Squad and K-9 Unit investigated and found nothing out of the ordinary, and city police gave the OK to resume the regular day a short time later, he said. They took a different approach following what turned out to be a "swatting" call three wee…
News
Update
: Classes Resume After 'Swatting' Call Clears Hackensack High School
UPDATE: Authorities gave the all-clear for Hackensack High School students and staff to return after a bomb threat phoned in from out of state cleared the school. The "swatting" incident began shortly before 9 a.m. Friday, March 4, when a caller "indicated he put bombs at a specific location" on school grounds, said Hackensack Police Capt. Darrin DeWitt, the officer in charge of the department. Area streets were closed down and students and staff were moved to safe locations, the captain said. The Bergen County Sheriff's Bomb Squad and K-9 Unit "assisted Hackensack police officers in …
News
'Swatting' Call Clears Hackensack High School
UPDATE: Authorities gave the all-clear for Hackensack High School students and staff to return after a bomb threat phoned in from out of state cleared the school. The "swatting" incident began shortly before 9 a.m. Friday, March 4, when a caller "indicated he put bombs at a specific location" on school grounds, said Hackensack Police Capt. Darrin DeWitt, the officer in charge of the department. Area streets were closed down and students and staff were moved to safe locations, the captain said. The Bergen County Sheriff's Bomb Squad and K-9 Unit "assisted Hackensack police officers in check…
News
'Swatting' Forces Passaic Grandma, 95, From Her Home As Tactical Units Respond To Bogus Call
A 95-year-old grandmother and a woman in her 60s had to be temporarily removed from their Passaic home on a frigid night because of a bogus "swatting" call to police, authorities said. The call came in shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, from someone who "stated that he harmed his wife and child and had his neighbor hostage" at the Poplar Street home, Passaic Mayor Hector Carlos Lora said. Police set up a perimeter and eventually escorted the two women to an ambulance to keep them warm, the mayor said. Neighbors also had to spend some time outside as members of the Emergency Respons…
News
Swatting
: Bogus 911 Calls Bring Tactical Responders To Same Bergen Home Twice
Officers in tactical gear converged on a Fair Lawn neighborhood shortly after 2:30 a.m. recently after a 911 caller who claimed to be 13 told them she'd been kidnapped and held there against her will. They ordered everyone out of the house with their hands up before discovering that they'd been pranked, a resident said. Police got another 911 call via the NYPD that appeared to come from the same house around 9 p.m. last Wednesday. This time, a suicidal man was threatening to slit his throat with a kitchen knife. Bogus again, police said. "With both calls, the voices appeared to have been …
News
'I Shot Everyone In The House': Bogus 'Swatting' Call Brings Tactical Unit To Bergenfield Home
A caller who said he "shot everyone in the house" brought police and a Bergen County Regional SWAT unit to an unoccupied Bergenfield home on Saturday in what turned out to be a "swatting" incident. The lone resident of the Turnure Street home was at work and unaware of the bogus call made to police around 11 a.m., responders said. Authorities quickly determined the call was unfounded and cleared the scene. Deploying SWAT teams and additional personnel to unsuspecting victims’ homes and businesses -- as well as to schools that end up being locked down -- can put people in danger while diver…
News
'I Shot My Parents': Bogus Call Brings Police From Several Bergen Towns
A caller had just told a Montvale police dispatcher that she'd just shot her parents. Law enforcement colleagues from Hillsdale, Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake immediately mobilized to assist their Pascack Valley colleagues Saturday night. Officers went to the parents' house and didn't find anyone home. They checked out at least one other claim the caller made that was bogus, too. "It was called in from out of state," Police Chief Joseph Sanfillipo said. "An investigation is ongoing." Authorities don't consider "swatting" pranks amusing. Summoning police from surrounding towns, depl…
News
'I Just Shot My Father': Bogus Swatting Call Draws Mass Response To Palisades Park Apartment
A throng of police and tactical units descended on a Palisades Park garden apartment complex Friday night in response to what turned out to be a bogus 911 call of a man with a bomb strapped to his chest. The swatting incident forced the evacuation of the West Central Boulevard complex off Grand Avenue after a 911 caller told a dispatcher around 9 p.m. that "I just shot my father," Detective Alex Monteleone said. Units were rushing to the site when the swatter called again, saying he'd shot his dad a second time, he said. The third time, he said he had a pipe bomb strapped to his chest that…
Police & Fire
Swatting
Incident
: 'Shots Fired' Report At Garden State Plaza Turns Out Bogus
A call to Paramus police that shots were fired Wednesday morning at the Garden State Plaza proved bogus, authorities said. None of the businesses had opened yet at the mall -- although mall walkers and workers were there -- when the "swatting" call came in around 8:30 a.m. that shots had been fired at the T-Mobile kiosk. Various law enforcement agencies joined Paramus police and a through search was conducted. All were released within 45 minutes. Authorities determined that the call came from Texas. Mall businesses were scheduled to open as usual at 11 a.m. "Swatting" incidents peaked na…
Police & Fire
Swatting
: Bogus Hostage Call Brings SWAT Team To Quiet Franklin Lakes Neighborhood
A fake Mother's Day call of a man who’d taken hostages brought a SWAT team to a Franklin Lakes home, authorities said. Police cordoned off the area around the Oldwoods Road residence after receiving the 3:15 p.m. call Sunday, Capt. John Bakelaar said. They determined in less than an hour that they’d been subjected to a “swatting” incident, Bakelaar said. “There were no issues at the residence and the telephone call was illegitimate in nature,” he said. "Swatting" incidents peaked nationwide about five years ago but have since subsided somewhat. Authorities say deploying SWAT teams and ad…
Police & Fire
Swatting
Incident
: Authorities Respond To Pequannock Home On Bogus Call
A bogus call brought the Morris County SWAT team and local police to a Pequannock home overnight, authorities said Someone called police reporting that there was a barricaded subject on Berry Street, who had either injured of killed someone inside around 12:30 a.m., Monday, Pequannock Police Capt. Dan Commune said. The caller said that they would shoot at police if they responded and that there was also some kind of explosive device on the porch, Commune said. "We felt it was probably a swatting type of incident prior to our arrival," the captain said. "We did our due diligence and c…
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