'Swatting' the Dangerous Prank on the Rise in Morristown

'Swatting,' a prank that went viral around 2008, involves making a fake 911 call for the purpose of producing a response akin to that of a SWAT team. I know, it sounds incredibly stupid. However stupid it may be, this dangerous prank has been on the rise in the Morris County area since it was first reported around our neck of the woods in 2015 by USA Today. This first incident, in which a caller tells a 911 operator that there is a man with a gun in a home on Iroquois Avenue in Parsippany, NJ, was resolved peacefully after multiple police officers arrived and interview the sole occupant of the house to find no weapon.

The next notable report of confirmed 'Swatting' in the Morris County area was in April of 2019 when a frightened caller told police his grandmother was holding a shotgun to his sister's head in the Blair House apartment complex. Police, investigators, federal agencies, and hostage negotiators descended on to the Blair House, evacuating the building and closing down nearby roads. For over two hours law enforcement surrounded the building with guns drawn until it was determined to be a hoax. Another incident of 'Swatting' was confirmed later that year when Morris County SWAT surrounded a Pequannock, NJ home overnight.

In April of this year, a caller told Montvale, NJ emergency dispatchers she had shot her parents causing multiple police departments from the northern NJ area to converge on an empty home late at night. And just months ago in June of this year, a man called in a fake bomb threat to the Morris County ShopRite on Hanover Avenue - the 42-year-old former employee and Morristown resident is the only one of the previously mentioned callers to be arrested and charged.

Catching the pranksters behind these dangerous crimes is difficult and often unsuccessful, but not impossible. According to USA Today, "Federal agents arrested Matthew Tollis, 21, of Wethersfield, Conn., in September [2014] on charges that he was part of an international ring of online gamers swatting schools in New Jersey and five other states, including St. John Vianney High School in Holmdel."

This isn't just a "stupid prank," it's extremely dangerous and a huge waste of time and resources. Minimum criminal punishments for this type of "prank" have been on the rise to match the rise of 'Swatting' calls in recent years. So unless you want to end up in jail with a heavy fine and a couple of hundred community service hours to look forward to, only call 911 if there is a TRUE, REAL emergency.

If you've been a victim of 'Swatting' let me know in the comments below.