Satanic Drawings Lead to Commitment of Man Near School

A suspicious vehicle parked near a middle school led police to the discovery of disturbing drawings and writings containing satanic imagery.

At around noon on Monday, Officer Patrick Elwood noticed a vehicle had been parked at Citizen's Park for an extended period of time. Police believe the driver may have been surveilling George Washington Middle School.

The man — whom police did not identify — seemed nervous, Chief John Ward said, and was questioned after police observed him driving away from the park without a seatbelt.

In plain view were writings and drawings containing torture as well as satanic and apocalyptic imagery, including an illustration of angels firing guns down from the top of a building, according to cops. 

Police said the 20-year-old man from Middlesex County had written down the address of the Ridgewood park. 

"He had directions to that location in Ridgewood," Ward said. "We don't know why. The proximity to a church and a school...was concerning."

Ultimately, Ward said, there were no direct threats made to any person or organization.

Elwood searched the man's vehicle and found no weapons; he did, however, find children's books, crayons and muddy boots in the trunk.

Ward wouldn't speculate on why the man had these items in his trunk. 

"There were writings in open view that the party provided, along with some statements made, that led to some concerns as to why he was there from such a good distance away," the chief said. "We're following up on the investigation to determine if there were other motives. In today's world, we don't take chances."

The man's mental status and the "incoherent writings" led police to conclude he was in need of medical attention, Ward said. He was taken to Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus for a psychiatric evaluation. The individual was not arrested.

"Anytime you have anybody with a potential issue, our job is to try and intercede when somebody needs help and get them that help, and not take the chance for something worse to happen," the chief said.

"We have a heightened patrol response and preventative response around all our schools. If something seems out of the norm, our officers know enough to take the initiative, follow up on it and take action. In this case, we were able to provide someone with some much-needed assistance."