Crime & Safety

Westbrook Man Charged In Yale Gunman 911 Hoax Call

The 50-year-old has been arrested by New Haven Police for allegedly making the anonymous call on Nov. 25 that claimed a gunman was headed to the Yale University campus.

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Julie Weisberg, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

A Westbrook resident has been arrested by New Haven Police for allegedly making the Nov. 25 hoax call that claimed a gunman was headed to the Yale University — which lead to a large scale lockdown of the campus and much of the city.

Jeffrey Jones, 50, of Westbrook, was charged with:

  • falsely reporting an incident
  • second-degree threatening
  • second-degree reckless endangerment
  • misuse of the emergency 911 system
  • breach of peace
The New Haven Register reports that investigators reportedly used video surveillance footage of the pay phone used to make the anonymous phone call, and then later voice recognition technology to identify Jones as a suspect. 

Jones was arraigned in New Haven Superior Court on Wednesday and did not enter a plea, according to a New Haven Independent report.

Following the arraignment, Jones' mother and brother told The Independent that they felt he was innocent of the charges.  

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