Armed Man Removed From Barnegat Home After 5-Hour Barricade

BARNEGAT, NJ — An armed man threatening to harm himself went into custody Saturday morning after a five-hour police barricade in Barnegat. Agencies including the county SWAT team negotiated with the man for five hours before he left the Liberty Court home.

The man agreed to enter police custody at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday. He wasn't injured and was taken to Southern Ocean Medical Center for evaluation.

Police received a search warrant for the home and found more weapons, including a fully loaded semi-automatic .223 caliber rifle, a .45 caliber handgun, a 9mm handgun, and more than 1,500 rounds of ammunition. He also placed ammo near several windows around the home.

Family alerted police at 8:17 p.m. Friday that the 42-year-old man had a mental-health crisis. He had a knife and threatened to harm himself, police said.

The man refused police orders to leave his home. Officers secured the scene and talked to the man on the phone, determining he was alone.

The Ocean County Regional SWAT team and negotiators from the Ocean County Sheriff's Department also aided.

"If not for the outstanding decision-making and performance of the many officers involved, we could have easily had a different outcome this morning with tragic consequences," said Chief Keith Germain.

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Barnegat-Manahawkin Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com.