Flamethrower Operator In 2022 Bergen Standoff Pleads Guilty: Officials

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A local man who shot a flamethrower at law enforcement during a nearly day-long standoff last year has pleaded guilty to related charges, according to authorities.

Robert Condit entered a guilty plea Monday to aggravated assault and arson in connection with a 21-hour standoff from May 23-24 in Lyndhurst, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.

Condit, who barricaded himself in his home following a Superior Court hearing in which he was ordered to surrender his firearms, failed to comply with the court order and remained in his home despite police orders to leave, Musella said.

During the incident, the Lyndhurst man shot a flamethrower at members of the Bergen County Regional SWAT team and pointed a rifle at a SWAT vehicle. The surrounding neighborhood was also locked down while negotiators tried to "bring the ordeal to a peaceful end." Condit surrendered the following day, Musella said in a release.

State prosecutors will recommend a seven-year prison sentence subject to the No Early Release Act, which requires that he must serve 85% before becoming eligible for parole. His sentencing is scheduled for June 30, the release said.

The more than 15 members of the regional SWAT team involved in the incident will be presented with a unit citation award for their "skill and professionalism" by the New Jersey Crisis Intervention Training on May 25. Many of the negotiators and SWAT operators are CIT-trained and used that training during this standoff, officials said.

"I commend the (law enforcement officers) who persuaded the actor to surrender while ensuring that the residents inn the area were protected," prosecutor Musella said. "This was an extremely volatile and dangerous situation that ended peacefully due to the outstanding work of the men and women who responded.”