Man Who Had Gun At Westfield Elementary Indicted On 6 Charges

WESTFIELD, NJ - A Union County grand jury returned a six-count indictment against a Delaware man found to be in possession of a firearm, numerous rounds of ammunition and a folding knife outside a Westfield elementary school in June, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said.

Thomas J. Wilkie, 46, of Bear, Delaware, is charged with six weapons offenses, ranging in degree from second to fourth, including third-degree possession of a firearm in or upon the grounds of an educational institution, and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

At approximately 3:55 p.m. on Thursday, June 13, 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 potentially armed, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Theresa Hilton, who is prosecuting the case.

The school was placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure 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, holding a .45-caliber handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets. Two additional loaded clips of ammunition and a folding knife were recovered from Wilkie’s person, while 130 additional rounds of ammunition were located in the vehicle’s trunk.

The brother of Thomas Wilkie said that law enforcement are distorting the facts in order to make themselves out to be heroes.

"In no way my brother was there to harm anyone," Chad Wilkie said in an email to Patch.

According to Chad Wilkie his brother was at the school because a friend offered help to him.

"Either in a form of money or a place to stay," Chad Wilkie said.

Thomas and Chad's father George told NJ.com that Thomas is not a gun enthusiast and he is not sure where he bought this gun that he's alleged to have. Thomas Wilkie was unemployed and lived with his father, but previously worked as a truck driver, according to his father.

"He has some issues, some medical issues that we've been working with," George Wilkie said in the report.

Chad Wilkie said he was the one who alerted the Delaware authorities out of concern for his brother.

"I pray none of you have to go through what my family is going through, nor ever have to make a decision like I did that the Westfield Police dept took and blew completely out of proportion because of an agenda," Wilkie posted on Patch.

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 the 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.

"Every BIT of all the Articles about my brother are maybe 2% Accurate at best. NONE of you have any clue what the situation really was, only myself and law enforcement in DE know, the NJ Draconian Anti-Gun laws and also the fact that Westfield Police want to make it look dramatic and be the HEROES when none of what has been said has been completely factual, only a piece of it," Chad Wilkie posted on Patch.

Wilkie is currently lodged in Union County Jail, where he was ordered to remain detained pending the adjudication of his case, officials said. Convictions on criminal charges of this nature are commonly punishable by 5 to 10 years in state prison.

"Respect my Family and Respect the fact that this is causing a lot of heartache, more then any of you can fathom," Chad Wilkie said.

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