BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP, N.J. - Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson, Chief of County Detectives John W. Fodor, and Bridgewater Township Chief of Police Al Nicaretta announced that an approximately 1 ½ hour standoff ended peacefully after a 57-year old Bridgewater male resident surrendered to police.
Prosecutor Robertson stated that on December 24, 2018, at approximately 10:04 P.M., the Somerset County Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call and dispatched Bridgewater Township Police to a residence on Evagrod Street, on a report of a distraught male resident armed with a firearm.
The request for assistance came from a family member within the home according to police.
Responding officers from the Bridgewater Police Department safely escorted two occupants out of the residence, secured the perimeter, and evacuated a nearby residence.
Prosecutor Robertson stated that detectives from the Bridgewater Township Police Department along with the Somerset County SWAT team, Crisis Negotiators, Somerset County Tactical Emergency Medical Services (TEMS), and the Somerset County Communications Mobile Command Post personnel responded to the scene on Evagrod Street.
Prosecutor Robertson stated that the male resident made a request to speak with Bridgewater Township Police Detective Sergeant Thomas Rice.
Detective Sergeant Rice along with Crisis Negotiators spoke with the male resident and successfully worked together towards a peaceful resolution.
The individual surrendered to SWAT authorities and was taken to an area hospital for medical evaluation. Prosecutor Robertson commends the swift emergency response from all the agencies involved which resulted in the peaceful resolution of this incident.