Crime & Safety

Passaic Teen Charged In 'Swatting' Calls At Mall, School: Paramus PD

Calls to 911 reported a man with a knife at Windsor Preparatory High School and an active shooter at Westfield Garden State Plaza.

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Alex Barrales, 18, was charged with two counts of making a false report in connection with the 911 calls on May 13, police said.
Alex Barrales, 18, was charged with two counts of making a false report in connection with the 911 calls on May 13, police said. (Shutterstock)

PARAMUS, NJ — A Passaic teenager was arrested on Thursday for two counts of creating a false public alarm, the Paramus Police Department said in a news release.

The charges stem from two "swatting" calls that 18-year-old Alex Barrales placed on May 13, police said.

Police first received a 911 call about a man being threatened with a knife at Windsor Preparatory High School, where Barrales was previously a student. The claim turned out to be false, police said.

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While police were investigating, another call came in with reports of a shooting at Westfield Garden State Plaza. During the call, the dispatcher heard several loud bangs in the background that were believed to be gunshots, police said.

Officers initiated an "active shooter response," yet found the call to also be false, police said.

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Both calls, police determined, were made by Barrales, an affidavit of probable cause said, and he was taken to the Bergen County Jail.

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