PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Toms River man has been charged after police say he created a fake bomb and placed the device in the road near the county courthouse over the weekend.
Officers responded Saturday around 9 p.m. to the scene in Toms River of a “suspicious item” in the road — a car battery with a power inverter attached. A strand of blue LED Christmas lights were also plugged into it, while the other end was connected to a bleach bottle filled with liquid inside.
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The makeshift bomb was placed near the Ocean County Courthouse and Administration Building. Officials blocked off the intersection, fearing the device would explode.
A K-9 unit, arson squad, bomb squad and hazardous materials unit ultimately determined the device was fake.
Police say 36-year-old David Giordano placed the makeshift bomb in the road.
A warrant for his arrest was issued on Sunday. By Monday, Giordano got into a car accident on the Garden State Parkway near Bloomfield. He was treated for his injuries at a hospital and released into police custody, during which officers found he had meth and Xanax with him.
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Giordano was subsequently charged with drug possession, as well as false public alarm for the bomb scare.
He is being held in the county jail pending a detention hearing.