MARLBORO – An individual some people considered suspicious led to an NJ Transit bus being examined by police on the morning of Dec. 10. The police activity tied up traffic on Route 9 during the morning rush hour and in the end, no one was charged in connection with the call for assistance.
Marlboro Police Capt. Fred Reck said that at 8:27 a.m., the Marlboro Police Department received a call from an NJ Transit representative asking for assistance at the intersection of Route 9 south and Route 520, where one of its buses had stopped.
Police officers arrived at the scene and made contact with the driver and passengers, including a male passenger who some riders believed was acting in a suspicious manner. Several passengers described that man as acting in a nervous manner and carrying a clock, according to Reck.
Police closed the intersection of Route 9 and Route 520 in all directions between 8:45-10:15 a.m. and contacted the New Jersey State Police bomb squad and the NJ Transit police. Law enforcement authorities brought a bomb sniffing dog to the scene.
Reck said the passenger in question was cooperative with police officers and told them he had arrived from Israel that morning and was taking the bus to Lakewood to see his family. The captain said he told the officers he was carrying the clock to keep track of time while he was on the bus.
Reck said it was unclear if the man was in the United States on a student visa or was part of a travel study program.
Law enforcement personnel determined there was no suspicious activity on the bus and a call to the state police bomb squad was cancelled, according to Reck.
The passengers, with the exception of the man in question, were placed on another bus. According to Reck, after the man was interviewed, police officers drove him to Lakewood. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the matter.