'You Will Have to Shoot Me': Knife-Wielding Man Tased at North Jersey School, Cops Say

A Hackettstown man allegedly carrying a knife was pepper-sprayed and tased by police Thursday afternoon during a standoff behind a school building, Sgt. Darren Tynan said.

Police responded to the rear of Hackettstown Middle School for a report of a suspicious man with blood on his throat just before 3 p.m., Tynan said. When officers arrived, they found Thomas Bell, 59, in the basketball court area and observed a large kitchen knife sticking out of his waistband, Tynan said.

At that point the Warren County Tactical Team was requested and officers on scene began a dialogue with Bell, Tynan said.

Bell would not comply with the officers’ commands, Tynan said, and was waving the knife around rather than putting it on the ground. Bell then allegedly told police, “Today is the day you will have to shoot me,” Tynan said.

Bell then allegedly began approaching the officers with the knife and was subsequently pepper-sprayed, Tynan said. Bell then went up against the school’s wall but continued to hold the knife and would not comply with the officers’ commands, Tynan said. At that point he was tased by a member of the tactical team and taken into custody.

Bell was taken to Hackettstown Regional Medical Center for lacerations to his head and throat.

At the time of the incident there were a handful of employees inside the Hackettstown Middle School who were requested to shelter in place. There were no students present, Tynan said.

Bell was charged with terroristic threats, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Bail was set at $20,000 with no 10-percent option and was lodged in the Warren County Correctional Facility.

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