European Teen Charged in Norwalk 'Swatting' Incident

Norwalk police say a juvenile from Europe has been charged in an elaborate ‘swatting incident,’ where the teen called police from Europe indicating there was an emergency situation unfolding in Norwalk, but it ended up being a hoax.

The teen even made it sound like gunshots were fired from inside a Norwalk house, police said.

Here is the full police press release:

On August 20, 2014 at approximately 3:45 a.m., the Norwalk Police Combined Dispatch Center received a call that was placed from a blocked number on the main line to the Police Department.

The caller identified himself as an Army Veteran who lives on Kendall Court and stated he was armed with several firearms. A few minutes into the call, the caller said he was going to go open the door for officers on scene.

Shortly thereafter, the dispatcher heard what sounded like four gunshots. The Norwalk Police Department Emergency Services Unit Tactical Response Team responded to the scene. Following the establishment of a perimeter, the homeowner came out and it was determined the call was not made from the residence and was a hoax.

Detective Justin Bisceglie assumed the investigation and conducted multiple interviews with family members and friends. Through his investigation, Detective Bisceglie determined the incident began in two online chat rooms with a member of the Kendall Court household. At some point, the suspect became angry with the victim and initiated the SWATing prank as retaliation.

Within 24 hours, Detective Bisceglie identified the suspect as juvenile from Europe (his name cannot be released due to his juvenile status) who has extensive hacking history. The call was placed via the internet and the suspect routed it through other phone numbers to mask where it was coming from.

Detective Bisceglie secured several court orders to confirm the identity of the suspect. Based on the suspect being in Europe, he then began working with the FBI and provided them with the suspect’s information. The FBI was aware the suspect and they forwarded the information to the proper Authorities.

Due to being a juvenile, the suspect cannot be extradited to the United States. However he has been arrested and will be prosecuted in the jurisdiction, where he resides in Europe for the “SWATing” incident that occurred in the City of Norwalk.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact the Norwalk Police Department.