'Bomb Defusal Manual' Causes Scare At Howell Church: PD

HOWELL, NJ — The noon mass at a Howell church was canceled Sunday out of caution after a manual for a video game about defusing a bomb was found in the church, Howell police said Sunday evening.

Police were called to St. William the Abbott Church at 10:19 a.m. on Sunday in reference to what was reported as "a suspicious document," Detective Sgt. John Lopez said.

The document was found to be the manual for a video game called, "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes." The game's website describes the game: "You’re alone in a room with a bomb. Your friends have information to defuse it. But there’s a catch. They can’t see the bomb, so everyone will need to talk it out – fast!"

The cover sheet of the manual says "BOMB DEFUSAL MANUAL" in large type.

Explosives-seeking dogs from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office were brought in and cleared the building as well as surrounding property, Lopez said.

There were no threats or suspicious packages located on the premises, he said, and the investigation found there was no credible threat to the church or the community.

The incident did prompt the cancellation of the noon mass, however, Lopez said.

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