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A Bergen County Regional SWAT team was summoned after police received a call of an active shooter inside a Miller Avenue duplex off Speidel Avenue around 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14.
The unit quickly cleared the house after police established a perimeter and evacuated duplexes on either side.
Swatting exacts a toll on innocent residents, which is usually the intent. Often public figures and celebrities are the targets. Sometimes it's more an effort to tie up law enforcement, authorities said.
Deploying SWAT teams, ERT units and additional personnel to unsuspecting victims’ homes and businesses diverts resources from potential areas of critical need, they say.
Unfortunately, an enormous proportion of swatters -- some of whom aren't even in the country when they call -- are never caught.
Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno was confident about his investigators' chances.
"We're looking into the source," the chief said Saturday night.
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