WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ—A tense situation unfolded at Monmouth University after a threatening email prompted an extensive overnight lockdown. Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, July 23, the university police received an alarming message from an individual claiming to be armed and hiding on campus with a dangerous device.
The Monmouth University Police Department, along with the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team (MOCERT) and multiple other law enforcement agencies, including the Prosecutor’s Office and police departments from Asbury Park, Deal, Long Branch, Manasquan, Marlboro, Ocean Township, and West Long Branch, responded promptly to the incident.
Students and faculty present during the incident were placed under a shelter-in-place order as a precaution. A thorough search of the university buildings was conducted overnight by the authorities. After several hours, the preliminary findings of the investigation revealed no evidence to support the claims made in the email, leading to an all-clear alert being issued around 8:30 a.m.
While the lockdown has been lifted and normal activities have resumed, the investigation into the origin of the email and the credibility of the threats continues. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO) and the university police are actively seeking any information related to this disturbing event. Detective Daniel Chernavsky of the MCPO and Detective Tracy Carretta of the Monmouth University Police are leading the investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to come forward and contact the authorities at the numbers provided.
