Crime & Safety
Essex County Cops Find Explosive In Jewish Cemetery
A "firework attached to a can of lubricant" was found at B'nai Abraham Cemetery in the midst of High Holy Days, authorities said.
NEWARK, NJ — An “improvised explosive device” was found at B’nai Abraham Cemetery in Essex County amid the Jewish High Holy Days, authorities announced Tuesday.
The Essex County Sheriff’s Office is offering a cash reward up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons who placed the device – a commercial firework attached to a can of lubricant – on a headstone at B’nai Abraham Cemetery on South 19th Street in Newark on Sunday.
A sheriff’s officer working security detail at the cemetery found the device. He immediately took “all appropriate actions,” including evacuating the area and contacting the Essex County bomb squad, authorities said.
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The device was immediately rendered safe and removed to Essex County bomb headquarters. It was subsequently been turned over to the FBI, which has launched an investigation into the incident, Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said.
Fontoura said that the sheriff’s department has traditionally provided visitation security to the Jewish community at cemeteries throughout Essex County during the High Holy Days.
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Anyone with further information about this incident can contact the sheriff’s Crimestoppers 24/7 hotline at 973-877-TIPS.
The Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ wrote that the explosive device was discovered around 10:45 a.m., as community members were being escorted into the cemetery as part of the group’s Jewish Federation Cemetery Visiting Day.
“The bomb tech advised that the device as constructed would not have functioned,” CEO Dov Ben-Shimon stated. “The cemetery was opened after a complete check of the premises was conducted. Total time of disruption was under an hour. There is no indication at this time that the device was targeted as a bias/hate crime incident, but we will be following up with our law enforcement partners at Homeland Security to advise them of the incident.”
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