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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 that disrupted classes and brought tactical units to Hackensack High School.
SEE: Tactical Units, Hackensack Police Respond To Another Bogus Call From Same Number
Students, staff and particularly parents and law enforcers grew irritated by the calls, including one in which a threat was made to shoot up the school and another from someone who claimed to have killed his brother.
A prank caller brought a SWAT unit to an otherwise quiet Dumont cul-de-sac by claiming his father had shot his mother and then locked himself in a room.
A nearby school went into a brief lockdown and an EMS unit remained on standby.
SEE: Bogus 'Dad Shot Mom' Call Brings Dumont Police, Tactical Team To Quiet Cul-De-Sac
Wayne had two swatting calls in less than a week.
SEE: Wayne PD Probes Second Bogus Shooting Call In A Week From Same Neighborhood
Swatting exacts a toll on innocent residents, which is usually the intent. Often public figures and celebrities are the targets. Sometimes it's simply an effort to tie up law enforcement, authorities say.
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, they note. It also diverts resources from potential areas of immediate need.
Many of the culprits call from out of state -- and sometimes even out of the country. They use programs that make it seem that the calls are coming from inside a particular house, school or other location.
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