Hunt Continues for Hackettstown Gunman

Patch is updating this story frequently. Keep checking back.

Latest news:

• Lockdown continues at all public schools and Centenary College, after man calls police, saying he has an assault rifle in the woods near Hackettstown H.S.
• Centenary cancels all classes until at least 4 p.m.
• Still no confirmed sighting of reported gunman.
• Towns nearby begin taking measures — some also in lockdowns.
• Residents urged to stay inside.

The Hackettstown community is on lockdown Monday as police and others search for a gunman, possibly in the vicinity of Hackettstown High School.

Midday, nearby Washington Township (Morris County) schools implemented precautionary, security measures as well, Washington Superintendent Jeff Mohre said. Clarification: An earlier version of this post referred to those measures as a lockdown; Mohre said that is not the case in Washington Township.

The Centenary College community got an automated alert saying police are looking for a white male in blue jeans and a black sweatshirt, with an assault rifle. The alert reminds recipients the person could be hiding the rifle.

The college also said via its webpage that the situation began "when a man called the Warren County Communications Center about 9:45 a.m. and said he had an assault rifle in the woods beyond Hackettstown High School."

"At 10:08 a.m., Centenary received a call from the Hackettstown Police Department alerting us about the possibility of an armed man in the vicinity. The College immediately went into lockdown mode: the emergency siren was sounded, and text and e-mail messages were sent to all students, faculty and staff through our E2Campus alert system," it said. "Alerts also were posted on the College’s Facebook pages and Twitter account."

The college is about five blocks from Hackettstown High School.

Sligfhtly past noon, it said, "a high ranking member of the Warren County Tactical Unit has requested that ALL personnel, students and employees alike, remain inside as there are police all over the area.  People outside compound their efforts."

All classes before 4 p.m. at the college have been cancelled. A decision on classes that take place later will be made closer to that hour.

Bianca Alfiera, a student at Hackettstown High School who spoke to Patch by phone, said students there aren't really scared — they're curious. An alert came over the loudspeaker putting the school in lockdown, doors were closed, and the students haven't been able to find out much since, she said.

Students aren't technically allowed to use cell phones, but many have been contacting their parents without interference, she said.

Centenary College freshman Rebecca Balfour of Randolph said students have been told not to leave their dormitories.

"We have some people who are panicking," she said. "Most people are staying in their dorms, relaxing. I mean, usually around the college there are lot of cops. This year there have been a lot of incidents involving the police. I was a little surprised it was a gunman. But i wasn't surprised at all the police action."

Balfour said resident assistants have been checking dorm rooms, making sure students haven't left. Balfour said she's only left to take a shower.

Caitlin, a senior at Centenary, told News 12 that sirens went off shortly after 10 a.m. on the campus and then students received an e-mail and text messages from college officials, telling them that the school is on lockdown.

She said students are sitting in their classrooms with the doors locked and the lights off. She told News 12 that students are not able to see anything going on outside but have heard helicopters passing overhead.

Brianna Pante lives in Hackettstown with her grandmother a mile away from the Centenary campus. Currently, Pante is at Sussex County Community College.

"I guess it's hard to believe," she said. "I'm not home, but I'm scared for everybody i know. My grandma is at the home by herself. My neighbor is home with a new born baby. I guess right now I'm more in shock than anything."

"I live near the highschool and continue to hear helicopters circling and hovering over the area of Warren St, Arthur Terrace and Mitchell Road," Judi Menzel told Patch via Facebook around 12:30 p.m.

The public school district's superintendent's office said no parents should come to schools. But several parents already standing outside Hackettstown High School—where officials from multiple law enforcement agencies are on hand, and a police chopper is overhead—say they came after getting word of the danger in text messages from their children.

Keith Brennen, whose son is a junior, said he got a message that someone is running around with an assualt rifle. Brennen said his son tried to leave the school, but was stopped by "a heavily armed policeman." Dan Monaco got a call from his son, Sal. Monaco was told as well that someone was running in and out of the school with a gun.

They and other parents said initially they didn't get any sort of alert from the school's emergency notification system. However, by late morning, a notice was on the school district's web site alerting parnts of the lockdown.

Scott Stalter, whose son-in-law, Jason Terrill, is in the National Guard, said Terrill told him a man in the woods called police and told them he has an AK47, initiating the emergency response. Patch is still working to confirm that account with other authorities.

The emergency prompted responses in other towns as well, some as far as 30 miles away. and .

As news of the emergency broke Monday, Twitter lit up with commentary from people in and near town, expressing surprise, fear and concern.

"Thinking of everybody in town and wishing for safety. #hackettstown,"  user katievits24 wrote.

"i've got helicopters practically in my frontyard," allisonryan16 wrote.

User schnure wrote he's "hoping it's just a very bad prank."

Are you in or near Hackettstown? Tell us in the comments below what you're seeing, or call 973-876-3761.

— Jason Koestenblatt, Sue Toth, Brendan Kuty and Louis C. Hochman contributed to this story.