Suspicious Package At Toms River Car Dealership Was A Fake Pipe Bomb: Police

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Authorities are investigating how a fake pipe bomb wound up in the parking lot of a car dealership on Route 37 Thursday morning, Toms River police said.

Police, fire and EMS units were called to Honda of Toms River at 246 Route 37 west about 9:15 a.m. Thursday after Honda employees discovered what appeared to be a pipe bomb in the parking lot, Toms River Police spokesman Ralph Stocco said.

The business and surrounding homeowners in the area of Dale and Hill streets were evacuated as a precautionary measure, Stocco said, and the New Jersey State Police Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit responded to evaluate the device.

The State Police bomb squad officers deployed a remotely operated robot to approach the device and observe it with a video camera, then used a portable X-ray to internally examine the object, Stocco said. Finally, wearing protective gear, they approached and disabled the object. The area was given the “all clear” at 11:30 a.m., he said.

The pipe was determined to not be an explosive or incendiary device, but Stocco said it had been made to appear that it was real.

The fake pipe bomb was a metal cylinder approximately 12 inches long and 5 inches wide, wrapped in black tape, Stocco said, and it had several wires and electrical connectors sticking out of each end.

"It was placed there intentionally," Stocco said, but investigators are unsure of the motive as of Thursday afternoon. Investigators remain on the scene reviewing video footage and speaking to potential witnesses, he said.

Also assisting the Toms River Criminal Investigative Bureau were members of the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, Toms River Fire Companies 1 and 2, and Toms River EMS, Stocco said.

The response to the device included helicopters circling above the area. Resident Eric Braun, who lives nearby, tweeted video of police investigating the incident and noted the helicopters circling.

Another Twitter user, OTW Fishing, also tweeted about the helicopters.

Photos of the State Police bomb squad examining the device provided by Toms River Police spokesman Ralph Stocco. Police officer at the rear of the building by Eric Braun. Honda dealership photo via Google Maps