Old Bridge Schools Go Into Lockdown Over Hoax 911 Call

OLD BRIDGE, NJ — Old Bridge public schools were placed into lockdown Thursday due to what police say was a "swatting" incident, where a local teen called 911 and said he and another teen had been shot.

The entire call turned out to be a hoax, said Old Bridge Police. And they are still looking to find the teen — or adult — who made the call.

The call was received Thursday morning to the Old Bridge 911 call center: The caller said he was a 14-year-old boy who resided in the Central Park section of Old Bridge. He said he and another person in the home were victims of gunshot wounds and the suspect was still on scene.

The call was disconnected and attempts to call back were unsuccessful. Old Bridge Police responded swiftly to the address he provided and found nobody in the home.

As a precaution, nearby local schools were ordered to shelter in place during the duration of the incident. It was determined shortly thereafter that the call was a swatting incident.

"Swatting is a crime," said Old Bridge Police. "For those unfamiliar with the term, swatting is the act of creating a hoax 911 call typically involving hostages, gunfire or other acts of extreme violence, with the goal of diverting emergency public safety resources to an unsuspecting person's residence. Anyone can be the target of swatting, but the crime is typically associated with video game users. Swatters use technology to make it appear as if the emergency call is originating from the phone of the intended target."

"Thankfully, no one was hurt in this incident. The matter will be fully investigated. Under current law the penalty for making a hoax police call could be a fine of up to $15,000, a prison term of three to five years, or both."

Get great local news. Sign up for Patch: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com