Bogus Shooting Threat Leads To Police Response In Delaware County

HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP, PA — A "swatting" call that claimed a man was threatening to shoot up a Haverford Township neighborhood led to a police response and now an investigation involving the FBI Tuesday.

Haverford Police told Patch officers got a call Tuesday from a person who claimed a man on West Hillcrest Avenue was armed with an AR-15 and threatening to shoot up the neighborhood.

The caller even reported hearing gunshots.

However, none of that was true.

Police went to the area and found no one armed with a weapon, nor did they get any other reports of gunshots.

Authorities said a mother and her juvenile daughter on that street were the victims of a "swatting" call.

"Swatting" is when someone makes a call to emergency services in an attempt to bring armed police officers to a particular address.

Police said the victims have been the subject of harassment for some time now, and the suspect is calling from outside the United States.

According to police, the same victims and property were the target of a swatting call in January, and has been the target of other forms of harassment.

Haverford Police are now working with the FBI to investigate the harassment due to the caller being from outside the United States.

Anyone who has information on the harassment should contact Haverford Police at 610-853-1298.