All Clear, Lockdown Over At Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NJ — A report of an active shooter prompted a lockdown at JointBase McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst on Tuesday morning but the threat was unsubstantiated, base officials said.

The Ocean County Sheriff's Office said "a third-party call resulted in a precautionary measure being put in place" in an alert update. The sheriff's office did not elaborate.

Base officials were notified at 10:58 a.m. and emergency protocols were activated and law enforcement arrived, the base said in a statement. No active shooter threat was substantiated and the base resumed normal operations at 11:57 a.m., the statement said.

"Our priority is the safety and security of everyone on the installation," said Col. Michael Stefanovic, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst commander. "We worked closely with local law enforcement and emergency responders to ensure the situation was investigated and resolved as quickly as possible."

The lockdown led to shelter-in-place orders at nearby schools, officials confirmed. Those have since been lifted as well.

"The Manchester Township School District has received clearance from the Manchester Township Police Department to resume normal activities at all schools," the district said in a message to parents about the shelter-in-place being lifted. "All students and staff are safe. Thank you for your cooperation and support."

Base officials said no additional details were immediately available but would be released as information becomes available.

The lockdown had been announced at 11 a.m. It was lifted shortly before noon.

"ALL CLEAR. ALL CLEAR. ALL CLEAR." base officials said in an update on the base's Facebook page.

The lockdown was partially lifted about 11:50 a.m., with Fort Dix and McGuire cleared to resume operations while the Lakehurst lockdown continued.

The initial notice said, "THERE IS A LOCKDOWN AT JBMDL. ALL PERSONNEL ARE TO LOCKDOWN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. ALL PERSONNEL OUTDOORS SHOULD TAKE COVER."