Curling Iron Mistaken For Weapon Triggered NJ Campus Lockdown

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ - After staff and students at Monmouth University were ordered to shelter in place Wednesday due to a report of a possible armed person at the campus, law enforcement determined Thursday morning that the armed person in question was actually holding a curling iron mistaken for a weapon, the university said.

The shelter-in-place was first ordered at 9:15 p.m., after a report of a possible armed person on the West Long Branch campus was reported to university police, according to the first alert notification. Several local and county law enforcement agencies searched the campus while students were urged not to enter or leave the site.

A second alert was issued at 1:05 a.m. on Thursday morning, noting that, while police found “no evidence of shots fired,” the shelter-in-place remained in effect.

The order wasn’t lifted until 1:42 a.m. when police declared the campus safe. “An elevated police presence remains,” the university said early Thursday morning. “Additional information will be sent via email.”

In a Thursday letter to students, university President Patrick F. Leahy said law enforcement later determined that the armed person in question was actually holding a curling iron mistaken for a weapon.

"All of us are thankful that this situation was resolved successfully and without incident, and we appreciate the support and cooperation we received from our students and staff who adhered to the shelter-in-place restriction," Leahy said. "On behalf of the University, I would like to express my appreciation for the efforts of the responding law enforcement agencies who assisted in our investigation."

The West Long Branch university will reopen Thursday at noon, with classes starting at or after 12 p.m. to meet as planned.