SWAT Team Removes Barricaded Woman From Bergen County Apartment: Police

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Two different armed women were rescued from Hackensack apartments last week while having mental health episodes, police said.

On Friday night, police and the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team responded to an apartment on Union Street after getting a report of a mental health incident involving a 44-year-old woman, Captain Gregory Zisa told Patch.

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Family members first called police asking for their help, Zisa said, but when officers arrived, the woman retreated into the apartment "with what appeared to be a knife."

She also threw objects from the window onto the street, police said.

Police followed the state Attorney General's guidelines and called the regional SWAT Team "due to the presence of a barricaded subject situation," Zisa said.

SWAT took the woman into custody without any injuries. She was brought to New Bridge Medical Center for mental health services, Zisa said.

"Even with a deadly weapon present, the responding Hackensack officers were successful in their efforts to contain the situation to the patient's apartment, without danger to others in the building," he said.

Earlier Incident

A woman was safely removed from a Hackensack apartment on July 19 after threatening self-harm, Hackensack police said in a release last week.

Hackensack's Police Department and Emergency Services Unit headed to an apartment building on Polifly Road on a report of a woman threatening self-harm with a knife, they said.

Police found a woman holding a "large" knife toward herself, police said.

"Through de-escalation techniques and decisive action, the officers were able to disarm the woman and safely remove the knife without injury to anyone on scene," police said. "Their quick reaction during this stressful encounter brought about a safe conclusion to a potentially deadly situation."

Police noted, "Situations like this can have dire consequences, and fortunately, the officers involved in this incident were able to create a safe and secure scene so the individual could receive the help she needed. Mental health awareness training has become a staple of the Hackensack Police Department's training regimen."

Anyone experiencing a crisis — or any family members concerned about a loved one — can contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 for immediate assistance.

New Jersey also has mental health resources here and the Performcare line for children and teens, no matter their insurance situation.