Gunman Arrested At Westfield School To Be Evaluated: Report

WESTFIELD, NJ – The 46-year-old Delaware man charged with bringing a loaded handgun to a Westfield elementary school will remain in the Union County Jail pending an evaluation, according to a report by mycentraljersey.com.

Thomas Wilkie's attorney Janice Massasoit entered a not guilty plea during the Wednesday hearing before Union County Superior Court Judge William Daniel, the report said.

Wilkie's first court appearance came nearly a week after he was arrested and charged for bringing a handgun loaded with hollow point bullets and a trunk with 130 rounds of ammunition to the parking lot of Tamaques Elementary School.

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.

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.

He had 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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