As state Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (DGloucester) sat on a sofa watching television on a recent Saturday afternoon, his relaxing day took a scary turn when a squad of heavily armed police officers arrived at his home ready for action.
“I received a phone call from an emergency dispatcher asking me if everything was OK, and when I said it was, the dispatcher told me to go outside with my hands up. The dispatcher said a call was received indicating there had been a shooting at my address. It floored me, and that is when I knew I had just been swatted,” Moriarty said this week.
Moriarty’s experience is the latest regional example of a recent phenomenon known as “swatting.”
According to the FBI website, “swatting” is the practice of making a hoax call to 911 to draw a response from law enforcement. The emergency response can include the deployment of a SWAT team.
“When I opened the door, still on the phone with the dispatcher, my road was closed. I had to walk toward [the law enforcement personnel] to demonstrate nothing was happening.
“Thankfully, I was the only one home. … I can’t imagine if it was different and my teenage daughter was home, because she probably would not have answered the phone call [from the dispatcher],” Moriarty said.
The incident at the state legislator’s home came several months after he announced that he was supporting a bill seeking to impose stricter punishment on individuals who make a prank call that prompts an emergency response.
“The legislation I am proposing looks to increase the penalties from a third-degree crime to a second-degree crime for false public alarm,” Moriarty said.
According to the legislator, a second-degree crime is punishable by five to 10 years imprisonment and a $150,000 fine, and it can hold the responsible party liable for the cost of mobilizing the emergency responders.
In recent weeks, emergency responders have been dispatched to two locations in Monmouth County — the Village Elementary School in Holmdel and a residence in Upper Freehold Township.
Monmouth County Acting Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said a call was received on April 2 reporting a gunman on the roof of the school. The building was locked down, and students were evacuated. No armed intruder was found.
Monmouth County Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso of Holmdel said at a recent meeting of the Board of Freeholders that there has been discussion with state Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth) to impose harsher punishment on individuals who report an incident that turns out to be a hoax.
“Swatting is a new phenomenon and, after speaking with Sen. Beck and the county prosecutor, I have discovered the senator is drafting legislation” regarding the issue, DiMaso said.
DiMaso, who is a volunteer first aid squad member in Holmdel, said she saw the anguish parents were experiencing as emergency responders swarmed the Village Elementary School.
“These poor parents. … These were their little babies from 3 years old to 7 or 8 years old. It was heartbreaking and excruciating to be there waiting with them and making sure their children were safe,” DiMaso said.
Authorities have not reported any arrests in the Holmdel incident.
On April 1, emergency responders were dispatched to a home on Ridgeview Way, Upper Freehold Township, after a caller reported a hostage situation. The responders determined there was no immediate threat at the location.
On April 22, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Jeff Flynn said the Upper Freehold incident remains under investigation.
Moriarty said new technology is allowing people who make a hoax call to avoid detection.
“The Internet makes these people do nasty things, and many of them think they are anonymous. It has become so easy to hide behind a screen, and it is disturbing to think that, for some people, it gives them a thrill,” he said. “It is a sick and perverse type of hoax, and if people find it funny, then they have a twisted sense of humor.”
According to DiMaso, making a hoax call is currently regarded to be a misdemeanor, but with additional support that can be changed.
“Currently, there is no restitution for the cost [of responding to a reported emergency]. There are situations where every emergency responder is dispatched for no reason. With today’s technology, the [hoaxers] actually make these calls look like it is a hostage situation, yet the punishment is nothing more than what you would get for shouting ‘fire’ in a movie theater,” the freeholder said. “It is adding insult to injury to find out it is not taken as seriously as it should be. There were hundreds of people [at the Holmdel school]. It is just horrible.”
Moriarty said he will never forget the day armed emergency responders showed up at his door.
“It was such a jarring incident to have to come out with my hands up, and it was without a doubt an element of surprise to see these officers with their guns ready for what was called in as a shooting at my own home,” he said.
Moriarty said the bill he has drafted with several other Assembly members will initially come before a committee.
“I ask anyone who has general information about who has been swatting to come forward. I am sure the people responsible for this have bragged and boasted about what they did. Something needs to be done before someone gets seriously injured. It isn’t funny,” he said.