A 34-year-old Medford Township man was charged with creating a false public alarm after he attempted to enter the Burlington County Institute of Technology on Oct. 30, according to Medford Township Police Department.
Police responded to the campus at 10 Hawkin Road at approximately 3:59 p.m. for the report of a subject attempting to enter the building via multiple doors after having contact with school staff.
Arriving officers quickly located and detained the man. During the course of the investigation, a white van that the man drove to the school was located on school property, police said.
A Medford Township police explosives detection K9 provided a positive indication to the presence of potential explosive material within the vehicle resulting in the school being evacuated with the New Jersey State Police Bomb unit responding to the school.
Additionally, members of the Evesham Police Department, Lumberton Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Medford Township Fire and EMS (emergency medical services) and Burlington County Fire Marshall’s Office responded to assist, later confirming there was no threat within the school or within the vehicle.
The man was also charged with trespassing, possession of a weapon on school property (knife), and hindering his own apprehension. He was subsequently lodged at the Burlington County Jail. The investigation regarding his intentions at the school is ongoing by members of the Medford Township Criminal Investigations Bureau and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
