Toms River Standoff Ends As Man With Bat, Knives Arrested: Police

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A man who barricaded himself in a home on Patmas Drive Tuesday afternoon was removed from the home without injuries after a more than three-hour standoff, Toms River police said.

Police were called to the home shortly after 4 p.m. on a report that said the man was acting erratically and had a bat and knives, said Jillian Messina of the Toms River Police Department.

The family was evacuated from the house while police tried to talk to the man, Messina said. Authorities set up a perimeter around the house for the safety of everyone involved, she said.

Messina said the man opened the front door holding a bat and a large knife but refused to follow the commands of the police, closing the front door instead.

Detectives trained in negotiation and the Toms River Emergency Services unit responded to try to talk to the man, she said.

About 6 p.m., a large police presence was visible at the corner of Patmas and Lakehurst roads, with multiple marked and unmarked police vehicles, some of them staged in the parking lot of the former Silver Ridge Dental office, and at least one Toms River EMS ambulance was on the scene.

Detectives called the man to try to talk to him, but after the phone call ended without the man coming out, a tactical team went into the house and found him and took him into protective custody, about 7:30 p.m., Messina said.

The man was taken to Community Medical Center for further treatment, she said. There were no injuries reported, Messina said.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office also assisted, Messina said.

"These types of calls are unpredictable and extremely dangerous," she said. "We’d like to commend all of the first responders on scene for their professionalism and commitment to the safety of everyone involved. "

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