Staff Writer
“The investigation is ongoing between our Detective Bureau and Ocean County investigators, but at this time the preliminary investigation appears to show the call may have originated from outside the country,” Laskiewicz said.
On the Jackson Police Department’s Facebook page, police termed the situation at a home on Tilford Street an apparent swatting incident.
Swatting is a term that refers to an incident in which a caller reports a dangerous situation at a location in an attempt to draw a significant response from law enforcement authorities.
Police said that at 8:06 p.m. April 4, officers responded to a home on Tilford Street after a call was received at the Jackson Police Department from an unknown phone number. The caller claimed to be at the residence, armed with a rifle and pipe bombs and holding four hostages.
Police said the responding officers set up a perimeter around the house and blocked travel on nearby streets, then began to evacuate nearby residents while contact was made with the residence from which it was believed the call originated.
Tilford Street is in a residential development off Bennetts Mill Road. Nearby streets include Laurelton Avenue, Castle Avenue and Georgian Boulevard.
Police said that after multiple attempts, contact was made with a resident of the home in question. The resident came outside and police checked the house.
According to police, the incident as reported turned out to be false and everyone in the residence was found to be safe.