FREEHOLD – An 11-year old juvenile is responsible for calling in a bomb threat at a Wal-Mart store in Neptune Township forcing an evacuation of the store and bomb-sniffing dogs being called to the scene, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
The Wal-Mart Supercenter, located on Route 66 in Neptune Township, was evacuated Sunday afternoon as a result of a telephone call at 1:07 p.m. The caller stated there was a bomb in the store and suggested people should be evacuated.
Bomb dogs from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey Transit Police Department, and Middletown Police Department were deployed to assist the Neptune Township Police Department at the scene. The Neptune Township Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services were also deployed to the scene.
A joint investigation was launched with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Neptune Township Police Department that resulted identified the juvenile responsible for the bomb scare phone call. The juvenile told investigators he obtained the idea for the bomb hoax after seeing a video on YouTube depicting a similar incident.
The juvenile is not being identified due to his age, and his case will be handled in the juvenile court system.
“Prank phone calls about bomb threats or guns are not a laughing matter. Resources are being deployed at a cost to taxpayers. Parents have a responsibility to monitor what their children do on the Internet where these ideas can be cultivated,” Gramiccioni said.
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