Gunman's Brother Says He Wasn't At Westfield School To Cause Harm

WESTFIELD, NJ - The brother of Thomas Wilkie, the 46-year-old Bear, Del., man in jail for bringing a loaded hand gun more than 130 rounds of ammunition to a Westfield School last week says 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 is currently 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.

Thomas Wilkie's 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.

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 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.

"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.

Thomas 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.

"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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