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A former patient is facing charges in connection with a hoax bomb threat that forced the partial evacuation of a hospital in the region.
The Saratoga County incident happened at around 8 a.m. Thursday, March 21, at the Saratoga Hospital on Church Street in Saratoga Springs.
Police said officers responded to the hospital’s emergency department for a reported bomb threat. The area was briefly evacuated while the agency used an explosive detection K-9 team to sweep the building.
No explosive devices were found, and nobody was injured.
In an update hours later, Saratoga Springs Police said they arrested 31-year-old Jonathan Gardner, of Schenectady, in connection with the threat.
According to investigators, Gardner claimed to have a bomb in the emergency department after being released by hospital staff following treatment.
He was arraigned in City Court of Saratoga Springs on a charge of falsely reporting an incident, and was taken to the Saratoga County jail on $500 bail.
In a statement on X, hospital administrators thanked staff for “quickly and efficiently” responding to the threat, as well as Saratoga Springs Police.
“Our hospital community came together in a moment’s notice. We are grateful for their ongoing support of our commitment to keeping our patients, families, and staff safe,” reads the statement. “Although the event was disruptive, we continued to provide care for our patients, and no harm was caused.”
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