EAST WINDSOR: Bomb scare empties store

By Doug Carman, Staff Writer
   EAST WINDSOR — The T.J. Maxx store at East Windsor Village was evacuated for about two hours Monday afternoon after an unidentified caller threatened to bomb the clothing store, East Windsor Police Lt. Harry Marshall said in a news release.
   Police were called at 4:20 p.m. Monday, and immediately searched the inside of the clothing store using K-9 units as T.J. Maxx’s customers and employees stayed outside, but police found “no indication of a bomb” before the store was reopened by 6:30 p.m., the release said.
   Lt. Richard Bernstein, who responded to a call on Lt. Marshall’s behalf, said eight employees and approximately 20 customers were evacuated at the time of the bomb threat. He said a detective was assigned to the case and it was under active investigation Tuesday.
   K-9 dogs from the West Windsor Police Department and the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office helped in the response, along with the East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 and a Capital Health Systems ambulance.
   Shoppers breezed in and out of the T.J. Maxx Tuesday morning. An assistant manager on duty there deferred all questions to T.J. Maxx’s corporate office.
   ”The safety of our associates and customers is always a top priority. (Monday), we temporarily closed our T.J. Maxx store in East Windsor, N.J., which has since reopened,” T.J. Maxx spokeswoman Doreen Thompson said in a statement. “Beyond this, we have no further comment as this is a police matter.”
   Lt. Bernstein said anyone with information on the bomb threat can call the East Windsor Police Department at 448-5678.