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Carlos Cortes, a 31-year-old landscaper and construction worker, was taken into custody by officers responding to 911 reports of a fight at the Spirit Bar and Restaurant on River Road around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, Police Chief Donald Martin said.
Callers also said shots were fired in the parking lot, but that was unfounded, Martin said.
Police did learn that Cortes and some friends had "become belligerent and were fighting with staff" when they'd been told they had to leave, the chief said.
Witnesses and staff said Cortes "threatened to kill everyone in the bar and made motions towards his waistband in a way that insinuated he may have a weapon," Martin said.
Cortes also threw a chair through a glass window and broke several other chairs during the incident, he said.
Police charged Cortes with criminal mischief and making terroristic threats, then released him pending a hearing.
Martin thanked fellow law enforcement officers from Cliffside Park, Fort Lee and the Bergen County Sheriff's Office who came to assist.
He called the incident "just another example of police responding to a chaotic scene, not knowing what they will encounter," which led to "the safety of all involved and a proper arrest."
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