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Benjamin Gibber, 29, of Lakewood, was charged with third-degree creating a false public alarm. Lakewood police announced his arrest in a news release on Friday, Mar. 15.
Officers responded to the pole near the intersection of Fourth and Forest avenues at around 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. The intersection is near the Satmar Shul synagogue.
The state police bomb squad also responded to the scene.
"After extraction, it was determined that the device was inert, however, its presence created large-scale unrest within the predominately Orthodox Jewish neighborhood," Lakewood police said.
Investigators said Gibber put the device on the pole to prevent someone from removing a poster designed to bring awareness to "specific events occurring in the Israel-Hamas war."
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