Man Made 'Hoax' Calls To Cops And Businesses In Bergen County, Causing Alarm: Prosecutors

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Fair Lawn man has been arrested on charges of false public alarm after a "pattern of anonymous hoax phone calls and emails" to law enforcement agencies and businesses in several Bergen County towns, including Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes, Fair Lawn, and others, prosecutors say.

Clyde Johnson, 26, of Fair Lawn was charged on Wednesday with four counts of second-degree false public alarm, third-degree attempted false public alarm, and third-degree false public alarm, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

Prosecutors said that in March 2024, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit and Intelligence and Counterterrorism Unit began an investigation into a pattern of hoax phone calls and emails "directed to crisis centers, local businesses, and law enforcement agencies regarding an individual armed with a deadly weapon or explosive."

The investigation determined that in January, March and April 2024, Johnson made false reports via phone and email affecting locations and law enforcement agencies in Franklin Lakes, Paramus, Wyckoff, Maywood, Fair Lawn, Fort Lee, and Bergenfield.

Johnson was arrested with assistance of the New York City Police Department and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations in Queens, N.Y.

He was taken to the Queens County Jail, awaiting extradition to New Jersey, prosecutors say.

Prank and hoax calls to law enforcement can be dangerous, experts say, taking investigators away from true emergencies, and potentially putting people in danger when they're surprised by law enforcement showing up.