PARAMUS, N.J.—Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella has announced an arrest in a bomb threat that prompted the evacuation of Bergen Community College’s three campuses on Monday, Nov. 18.
There was no bomb and no one was injured.
According to Musella on Nov. 20, Nicholas Donnarumma, 18, a maintenance worker residing in Saddle Brook, was arrested Nov. 19 on charges of terroristic threats and false public alarm in the incident, and then he was released pending a court appearance.
Detectives allege Donnarumma also delivered a bomb threat to a Saddle Brook business on Oct. 27.
The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti, along with the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office under the direction of Sheriff Anthony Cureton, the Paramus Police Department under the direction of Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg, and the Saddle Brook Police Department under the direction of Chief Robert J. Kugler.
The threat was called in to the Paramus Police Department, but shortly after 3 p.m. the evacuation had been lifted, according to the school’s Department of Public Safety.
The college’s three campuses are in Paramus, Hackensack, and Lyndhurst. The three combined serve more than 32,000 students in degree, continuing education, and adult education programs.
Musella said that on Nov. 18, 2019, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit was notified by the Paramus Police Department that an unknown telephone caller using technology to anonymize his calling line identity placed two telephone calls to the Paramus Police Department claiming that there was a bomb on the campus of Bergen Community College.
First responders, including the Paramus Police Department, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, the Bergen County Bomb Squad, the Bergen County Regional SWAT Team, and the Paramus Fire Department all responded and determined that the calls were false and there was no emergency at BCC.
Members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation to trace the calls.
As a result of the investigation, it was determined that Donnarumma placed these two telephone calls to the Paramus Police Department claiming a bomb was planted at BCC.
In addition, detectives determined that Donnarumma placed a similar telephone call to the Saddle Brook Police Department on Oct. 27, 2019 claiming a bomb had been planted at a local business, which similarly triggered the response of the Saddle Brook Police Department, Saddle Brook Fire Department, and the Bergen County Bomb Squad.
Donnarumma was arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in Paramus and charged with two counts of false public alarm and two counts of terroristic threats.
He was released pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court on Dec. 4, 2019 at 8:30 a.m.
Musella said that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
He thanked the Paramus Police Department, Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, and the Saddle Brook Police Department for their assistance with this investigation.