Governor Murphy Commends Westfield Officers For Armed Man Arrest

WESTFIELD, NJ - Before holding a press conference to discuss gun laws in the Garden State, Governor Phil Murphy stopped by the Westfield Police Department to commend the officers for their arrest of a man armed with a handgun in an elementary school parking lot.

Thomas Wilkie, 46, of Bear, Del., made his first court appearance Thursday came nearly a week after he was arrested and charged for bringing a handgun loaded with hollow point bullets and 130 rounds of ammunition to the parking lot of Tamaques Elementary School. He plead not guilty and is scheduled for an evaluation.

At approximately 3:55 p.m. last Thursday, Westfield Police Department patrol officers and detectives responded to Tamaques Elementary School on a report from the New Castle County Police Department in Delaware that a man, later identified as Wilkie, was en route to the school and may be armed, according to authorities.

Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro praised his officers multiple times publicly for their efforts, including a memo posted to social media and a presentation to the governing body of Westfield where he referred to the arrest as some of the finest police work he had ever seen.

During last week's incident, the school was placed on lock down as a precautionary measure, and to identify any other potential threats. Arriving officers located Wilkie in the front seat of his vehicle, a 2019 Mitsubishi SUV, parked in the school's parking lot. He was holding a .45-caliber handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets, authorities said.

Wilkie has been charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, fourth-degree possession of hollow-point bullets, and fourth-degree trespassing on school grounds, according to acting Union County Prosecutor Jennifer Davenport.

On Monday, an additional charge of third-degree possession of a firearm in or upon the grounds of an educational institution was filed against the defendant in Superior Court.

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