Latest on Thursday’s Suffern Swatting Case:
This message is meant to provide an update about the recent swatting episode in Suffern Village. The Suffern Police detectives, alongside the FBI New York Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, carried out a comprehensive investigation of the incident. By Thursday night, detectives had gathered enough evidence to identify a suspect responsible for the bogus report. A 15-year-old male from Orange County, Florida, was pinpointed as the prankster.
Suffern Police detectives reached out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, asking them to locate and interview the suspect. The deputies responded promptly, identified the youth, and carried out an interrogation.
The suspect confessed to the prank call while under questioning by the Florida deputies. Presently, we are in consultation with the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida to determine the appropriate criminal charges, if any.
The Suffern Police want to underscore that prank calls of this nature can result in highly perilous situations, disrupting communities and heavily taxing both law enforcement and EMS resources.
Parents are urged to educate their children about these dangers and potential severe consequences. Suffern Police extend their gratitude to all the law enforcement agencies involved in the response and investigation, especially the FBI New York Westchester Safe Streets Task Force and the Orange County Florida Sheriff’s Office.