Edison, Scotch Plains Jewish Community Centers Evacuated Due to Bomb Threat

EDISON, NJ - The Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County, located in Edison, as well as the Jewish Community Center of Central New Jersey in Scotch Plains were both evacuated Wednesday due to bomb threats. The two New Jersey centers were part of a wave of bomb threats made to 27 Jewish community centers in 17 states, the JCC Association of North America said.

A pre-recorded phone message was received just after 9 a.m. Wednesday by an employee at the JCC of Middlesex, located on Oak Tree Road in Edison, Lt. Robert Dudash of the Edison Police told Patch. The voice message referenced a bomb. There were approximately 160 people in the JCC at the time and they all had to be evacuated from the building, he said. They were housed at a nearby assisted living facility on Oak Tree Road while Edison police, the Middlesex County Sheriff's Office and State Police swept the building. Bomb-sniffing K9s were also called in to do a sweep.

The Edison JCC shares the building with the Middlesex County YMCA for exercise programs and daycare.

As the Scotch Plains Patch reported, a similar call was received at the Scotch Plains JCC, and it was also evacuated. In both incidents, no evidence of a bomb was found. The Union County Sheriff also responded to the Edison location to investigate, Lt. Dudash said.

This is the second time this month that multiple JCCs have received bomb threats in a single day, the national Jewish organization said. Wednesday's fake bomb calls were similar to calls received last week by 16 centers in nine states.

“In the wake of last week’s calls, JCCs were well-prepared for the calls received (Wednesday)," said David Posner, director of strategic performance at JCC Association of North America. "We are concerned about the anti-Semitism behind these threats. While the bombs in question are hoaxes, the calls are not."

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