Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Point Beach Suspect in "Critical Condition" at Jersey Shore Medical Center

All lockdowns in Beach and Borough public schools are over

A man taken into police custody in Point Beach on Wednesday morning is "in really critical condition" at Jersey Shore Medical Center from a self-inflicted gun shot wound, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's office.

The man who compelled police to lock down schools in Point Borough and Point Beach for about an hour on Wednesday morning is still alive, according to Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor's office. 

The incident did not involve any robbery attempt, Della Fave said.

Brick Police Captain Robert Mazza said the suspect was involved in a "domestic issue" sometime last night, and Brick police had been looking for him since that time. Brick police issued a description of the man to neighboring police departments, and he was "observed in Point" this morning, Mazza said.

Police were looking for the man at the NJ Transit train station at Route 35 North and ordered all local schools on lockdown until he was apprehended, the police alert states. There were no incidents at any local schools and staff and students were never in any danger, officials said.

No details about the man's name, hometown, age, or alleged crimes have been released by authorities so far, but Della Fave said he will release more information when he receives it from Point Beach police. Point Beach police have referred all media calls to Della Fave.

An earlier message from police in Point Pleasant Borough states:

"Due to police activity in Point Pleasant Beach involving a suicidal armed male subject, all Point Pleasant Borough Schools were on lock down as a precautionary measure. The incident did not involve anything inside the schools, and students were not in any eminent danger. The subject is in police custody at this time."

The following message from Point Borough Schools Superintendent Vincent Smith to all Point Borough public school parents registered with the Honeywell instant alert system is as follows: 

"Earlier this morning, Point Borough Chief of Police Larry Williams notified me of an incident that had occurred in Point Pleasant Beach.

The situation has now been resolved, however, during the incident, the district was placed on lockdown status, in accordance with the district's normal safety procedures and at the advice of Chief Williams.

Although the lockdown has been lifted, I'd like to take this opportunity to assure all parents and guardians that their children were safe at all times throughout this incident.

Again, the situation has been resolved and the lockdown has been lifted."

Smith said the lockdown was put in place shortly after he got a call at about 9:15 a.m. from Point Borough Police Chief Larry Williams asking him to do so. Then at about 10:19 a.m., Smith got the call that the lockdown was no longer needed.

Smith said he had intended to issue an alert to parents about the lockdown, but that his first priority was communicating with all four building principals and to make sure all the students were safe.

"We were in the process of getting this out," he said, referring to work done on a message to parents using the Honeywell system. "But then the issue was resolved. The procedure worked. The staff and kids did great."

After the lockdown was lifted, high school students were permitted to leave school grounds for their lunch periods, Smith said.

Linda Blumenstock, secretary to John A. Ravally, Point Beach schools superintendent, said just before 10 a.m. that the Beach schools were on lock-down and "shelter in place, which means none of the students can leave the building until we get the all clear from the police." She said she did not know exactly when the lock down went into effect this morning.

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available from the prosecutor's office.


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