Brick Man Charged In Bomb Threat Hoax At ARC Of Ocean County

A Brick Township man was arrested Thursday and charged with creating a false public alarm in connection with a bomb threat at the ARC of Ocean County Employment Center in Lakewood, police said.

Ryan Turek, 35, a participant in the employment program, was arrested in the wake of the incident, which began shortly after 9 a.m. when an ARC employee found a message on the company’s voicemail indicating there was a bomb in the building, Lakewood police said.

Lakewood Police, Fire and EMS responded and evacuated the building, at 150 Oberlin Avenue North, as well as the 200 students and staff at an all-girls school next door, police said.

A K-9 unit from the New Jersey State Police responded to search and clear all of the affected buildings, police said. Once the threat was confirmed to be a hoax, those evacuated were allowed to return to their buildings, police said.