Middletown Man Held Family Member Hostage In 9-Hr Standoff: Cops

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A man was taken into custody Wednesday in Middletown Township after a nine-hour standoff in which police said he was holding a family member hostage at gunpoint.

James P. Guiney, 39, had been holed up in an apartment on Kimberly Court in the McGuire's Grove apartment complex off Highway 35 for hours yesterday, and was holding an undisclosed family member with him.

Middletown Township Police first responded to the Maguire Grove complex for a report of a domestic dispute involving three individuals on Wednesday, June 27 at around 7:54 a.m. The report also included information that one of the subjects was possibly armed with a gun and was holding another subject against his will.

One family member was able to escape from the apartment before officers arrived.

The Monmouth County Emergency Response Team team, which operates out of the prosecutor's office, was called to the scene, and several nearby apartment buildings at McGuire's Grove were evacuated Wednesday as a precaution.

Negotiations were initiated with Guiney, but were initially unsuccessful.

As of about 4:30 p.m., white smoke could be seen billowing from Kimberly Court as police units deployed smoke grenades.

After about nine hours, police were able to successfully negotiate with the man to surrender Wednesday evening at around 6 p.m., and release the second remaining family member unharmed. Guiney has a lengthy criminal history, mostly for drug offenses.

Guiney is currently in custody in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, and is being held on various charges and outstanding warrants.

“I commend the response by our tactical teams that were able to bring about a peaceful resolution that resulted in the arrest of James Guiney, without serious injury,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said. “There were no injuries to any innocent persons or law enforcement personnel as a result of this incident.”

“Our primary concern was to protect the citizens of our community and see a swift and peaceful resolution. All of the officers and first responders involved in this incident performed their duties exceptionally well and worked together to achieve a successful outcome,” Middletown Police Chief Craig Weber said.

Guiney was subsequently charged with two counts of third degree Criminal Restraint, two counts of disorderly persons Simple Assault, fourth degree Obstruction of the Administration of Law, the disorderly persons offenses of Resisting Arrest, Hindering One’s Own Apprehension, and four counts of Contempt of Court with fines totaling $3,500.

Ambulances were standing by all day yesterday at McGuire's Grove.

An Absury Park Press reporter was on the scene at McGuire's Grove, and took this cell phone video below:

Top image via Shutterstock