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The teenager, whose name was not released, allegedly confessed to making the threats by phone twice this month to the Hooters at 195 Highway 18, East Brunswick police said.
He was charged with juvenile delinquency.
Both threats prompted evacuations of the restaurant, police said.
On July 6, at 9:28 p.m., East Brunswick Police Department responded to Hooters in response to a phone call they received from an unknown individual who claimed a bomb was located in the bathroom. The restaurant was forced to evacuate until a Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office bomb-sniffing K9 responded to the scene and determined no explosive devices were present, police said.
On July 19, at 1:52 p.m., the East Brunswick Police Department responded to Hooters in response to another bomb threat. The call was received from the same phone number as the previous incident, and the individual claimed there was a bomb in the bathroom, police said. The restaurant was evacuated, and surrounding buildings were advised to shelter-in-place. A Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office bomb-sniffing K9 responded to the scene and found no indication of a bomb.
On Thursday, July 20, a follow-up investigation conducted by Detective Crispin Farrace, Detective Alexander Danese, and Detective Christopher Williams identified a 16-year-old suspect from Old Bridge, "who provided a full confession and admitted to making both hoax bomb threats against Hooters," police said.
If charged as an adult, the charge would be false public alarm, police said. The boy was taken to the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center.
East Brunswick Police Chief Frank LoSacco, said, “Hoax bomb threats create public fear while putting first responders and the public in unnecessary danger. False reports waste emergency response resources, which may lead to real tragedies. We hope this serves as a lesson to others considering doing such a reckless act that it will not be tolerated.”
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