Ocean County Mall Bomb Threat May Have Been Part of Pattern

Ocean County Mall (Photo: Simon)

Investigators are looking into whether a bomb threat that led to the evacuation of the Ocean County Mall Wednesday night was the third in a string of similar threats.

The mall’s office staff received a call at 7 p.m., with the person on the line stating that there was a bomb inside of the building and that “people were going to get hurt,” said Ralph Stocco, Toms River Police spokesman.

“Out of an abundance of caution the mall was evacuated and a command post set up in the parking lot,” Stocco said.

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A specially trained explosive sniffing K9 Task Force was activated and a systematic search of the mall took place; the building was deemed safe around midnight.

Stocco said detectives are now investigating whether the Ocean County Mall threat could be connected to similar bomb threats that were called into a mall in Deptford Township and a hospital in Plainsboro Township around the same time.