Shots Fired Near East Orange Schools; Cops Ramp Up Patrols

EAST ORANGE, NJ — East Orange police have increased patrols in the wake of a daytime shooting that caused a lockdown at local schools on Monday.

According to city officials, residents can expect to see more police in the area of Lincoln Street and Springdale Avenue after the shooting.

East Orange Campus High School, Wahlstrom Academy and the Hart Middle School Complex were temporarily placed on lockdown as police searched for the suspect, who fired at least four shots in that area around 12:05 p.m.

The intended victim of the shooting wasn’t wounded, authorities said.

Since then, the East Orange Police Department has placed Lincoln Street between Springdale and Park Avenues on “police lockdown,” with a designated officer patrolling the area’s four block radius 24 hours a day.

“Although this incident did not directly involve our schools or our students, it does not diminish the severity of the crime,” Mayor Ted Green said.

“We want our residents to feel safe in all areas of our city no matter what time it is,” Green added. “The EOPD has been working relentlessly to get guns out of the wrong hands, but bail reform is allowing illegal gun holders to escape justice over and over again.”

According to Public Safety Director Maurice Boyd, local police have confiscated 18 illegal guns in the past 28 days, bringing the year-to-date total of seized guns to 77.

It’s unacceptable, Boyd said.

“Protecting the peace is increasingly difficult when a convicted felon caught with an illegal firearm is back out on the street within a couple of weeks,” Boyd said.

Chief of Police Phyllis Bindi said residents can report any suspicious activity by calling the EOPD Tips Hotline at 973-266-5041.

“We need everyone to be our eyes and ears,” Bindi said. “No tip is too small. The more we know, the more we can protect our precious children and the citizens of our community.”

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