Matawan Man Led Police In 10-Hour Standoff On Johnson Ave.

MATAWAN, NJ — A local Matawan man who led police on a 10-and-a-half-hour standoff Monday was charged with illegally possessing a gun, as well as destroying a robot deployed by Monmouth County SWAT teams. Michael “Bean” Geran, 51, cut the wires to the robot and pushed the robot down a flight of stairs, destroying it, the Monmouth County prosecutor's office said.

The incident began this past Monday, just before noon, when Geran's family members asked police to check in on him home on the first block of Johnson Avenue.

That was at around 11:56 a.m. Matawan police arrived to find Geran at home, but refusing to come out of the residence. It was also determined that Geran was armed with a handgun. Witnesses at the scene reported hearing multiple "pop" sounds like that sounded like gunshots.

Geran then cut off all communications with the police. As a result, the Matawan Police Department brought in the Monmouth County Monmouth County Emergency Response Team, or SWAT team. Once on scene, negotiators attempted to convince Geran to surrender – but that didn’t happen until approximately 10:18 p.m. Monday night.

In the wake of the standoff, Geran is accused of cutting the wires on a MOCERT robot, before pushing the robot down a flight of stairs, causing in excess of $5,000 in damage.

After being safely removed from the scene, Geran was sent to a hospital to be medically evaluated.

He was charged false public alarm, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, and third-degree criminal mischief.