Secaucus school, day care put into shelter-in-place amid reports of armed man nearby
Police say the man needed mental health assistance. He was not armed.
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A shelter-in-place was put in effect at Hudson County High Tech High School and Kiddie Academy day care in Secaucus as police got word of a man who was possibly armed and in need of mental health assistance.
Parents during the ordeal rushed over to make sure their kids were OK. Elvin Freay was one of them.
"It happens way too often and when it happens close to home, your nerves are on edge,” he says.
Secaucus police say around 9:30 a.m. on Friday, a concerned family member called saying their relative was possibly armed with a handgun and could be a threat to his own safety. After tracking his phone, police narrowed the search to Laurel Hill Park near the schools where the shelter-in-place was ordered.
"I went blank, to be honest. Very, very nervous. I didn't know what to do,” says parent Rossana Castro.
Investigators told News 12 they were ultimately able to make contact with the man over the phone. They have not released his identity. Officers say he was in distress and sounded like he was in a train station. After working with New Jersey Transit Police, he was found in the restroom at the Secaucus Junction Train Station.
The shelter-in-place was lifted shortly after 1 p.m. Police say the man did not have any weapons and was taken to a medical facility for treatment.
