By Eileen Oldfield Staff Writer
Borough police evacuated the Manville Municipal Complex Sept. 20, in response to a bomb threat at the building.
According to police, a court administrator received a phone call stating that a bomb was in the courthouse. Borough Administrator Gary Garwache estimated that approximately 12 borough employees were in the building when the threat was phoned in.
”It was late in the day, so it was in the last half hour of the day,” said Mr. Garwache. “If it had been earlier in the day, I’m sure we should have closed for the whole day.”
Mr. Garwache said the threat was phoned in at 4:30 p.m.; police evacuated the municipal complex at 4:42 p.m.
Police patrols, detectives, and the Somerset County K9 unit searched the building, but found nothing threatening in the building.
”I’m grateful that there wasn’t any bomb in the building,” said Mr. Garwache. “I’m glad it all turned out okay.”
Mr. Garwache said he hadn’t heard of any past scares in the municipal complex.
Court sessions for Sept. 20th had been cancelled prior to the bomb threat call.
An investigation into the threat is continuing, said police. No arrests have been made as of Wednesday.