Police Standoff In Monmouth County Caused School, Area Lockdown

MONMOUTH COUNTY – A 38-year-old man surrendered after a five-and-a-half-hour standoff with police this week, causing a school to be placed in a "shelter in place," prosecutors said.

The man barricaded himself inside his former residence, causing damage, and he refused to vacate, prompting a response for the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team (MOCERT) on Thursday, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Steven Greene, 38, formerly of 58 Society Hill Way in Tinton Falls, is charged with second-degree burglary, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, third-degree criminal mischief, fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and two counts of fourth-degree contempt, according to the MCPO.

Greene is currently being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold Township pending his first appearance before a Superior Court judge.

Tinton Falls police responded to a 911 call reporting the man was inside his former residence armed with a hammer and causing damage to the inside of the home on Thursday, the MCPO said.

A request for assistance was made for MOCERT and other countywide law enforcement agencies. A nearby school was placed in a ‘shelter in place’ status as part of a temporary lockdown in the area as a precaution, while law enforcement attempted to resolve the situation peacefully.

Greene peacefully surrendered at approximately 7:29 p.m., but not before causing damage to the inside of the property.