Senior Citizen Threatens Staff with Butter Knife at Livingston Assisted Living Facility

Livingston police arrested a 77-year-old resident of the CareOne assisted living facility on Passaic Avenue after the man threatened staff members with a butter knife on Tuesday morning.

According to Livingston Detective Sgt. Jack Hickey, the incident began around 9 a.m., when the man refused to come out of his room. When the man began threatening staff members with a knife, they called police to defuse the situation.

Hickey told Patch that three officers arrived on the scene to find the man trying to close and lock the door. While he was pushing, officers forced the door open, knocking the man to the ground and allowing officers the chance to grab the knife from his hand.

Hickey said that the man was bleeding from a pre-existing wound in his side when officers arrived, but couldn’t say whether the injury was self-inflicted.

Emergency responders transported the man to the hospital due to his injury and his mental condition. An officer also suffered a knee injury when he fell to the floor with the man during the struggle and is under evaluation.

According to Hickey, the man had a history of mental issues and combative behavior.

He was later charged with disorderly conduct.

“Everything was handled properly and professionally,” Hickey said.