NJ TRANSIT POLICE MAKE ARREST IN FALSE BOMB THREAT
Suspect used lost phone in the hoax
NJT-12-013
February 24, 2012
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The NJ TRANSIT Police Department announced the arrest of a 45-year old New Brunswick man for a false bomb threat made to the New Brunswick train station on December 16, 2011. Russell P. Gardner was placed under arrest on Wednesday, February 22, after an extensive NJ TRANSIT police investigation.
On December 16, 2011, Gardner allegedly called the New Brunswick Police Department stating “there’s a bomb in the New Brunswick train station” and hung up the phone. NJ TRANSIT officers and K-9 units immediately searched the entire train station and determined the call to be a hoax. Authorities later determined that the cell phone Gardner used to make his false threat was previously reported lost.
Gardner was charged with False Report to Law Enforcement and Creating a False Public Alarm, a disorderly persons and 3rd degree indictable offense respectively. The charge of False Report to Law Enforcement carries up to 6 months in jail. Creating a False Public Alarm is punishable by up to 5 years behind bars. Gardner was released on his own personal recognizance with a future pending court date.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 895,000 weekday trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 164 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.