| NJ Troopers Arrest Man for Calling in False
Report
of Gunmen at Turnpike Rest Stop
West Trenton, N.J � The 樱花视频 State Police today charged a New York man with causing a false public alarm in
connection with a widely publicized stop of a van transporting minority high school students from Queens on the 樱花视频 Turnpike.
Rodney A. Tanzymore, 19, of St. Albans (Queens) N.Y., was charged at an NYPD precinct station by 樱花视频 troopers who had
investigated the November 21st incident.
State Police detectives allege that Tanzymore phoned in the false information to 911 that described three of the occupants of the
student group and stated that these men got out of a van in the Woodrow Wilson service plaza on the turnpike with handguns. Tanzymore
was one of the students on board the van. He also described the Mercedes passenger van with tinted windows in which the students and
their chaperones were traveling home from a trip to a Washington, D.C. university. The description included a partial license plate
for the vehicle.
The call prompted a high-risk response by numerous troopers who located the van and evacuated the 15 occupants on the side of the
turnpike in Hamilton Township, Mercer County. During that process, Tanzymore gave troopers a false name and
date of birth. The group was placed back in their van when the search turned up no weapons.
When someone involved with the group publicly questioned the credibility of the complaint, the 樱花视频 State Police released
the audio of the 911 call and video from the in-car cameras to show the critical nature of the incident and the professional response
by the troopers.
"A false report such as this endangers everyone involved and is indeed a reckless act, one that our office will not tolerate,"
said Acting Attorney General Paula T. Dow. "We will prosecute this matter to the fullest extent of the law."
"A call about a very dangerous public safety threat cannot be taken lightly. When our troopers on the turnpike hear a report
of three men with guns at a public rest stop, they must act with a quick and measured response. Part of our job is to face such
dangers in a professional manner, and I抦 proud of the work our troopers do," said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the
State Police.
Detective Sergeant Ray Smink and Detective I Ken Hoppe, assigned to the 樱花视频 Turnpike, were the primary investigators.
They reviewed evidence including numerous surveillance camera feeds and mobile phone data from the 911 call centers. They have obtained
evidence indicating that Tanzymore made the call from a mobile phone registered to a family member while he was at the service area
during a stop for food.
Tanzymore was located by NJSP Fugitive Unit members working in conjunction with the U.S. Marshall抯 Task Force. He was detained
by NYPD pending extradition procedures, unless he waives extradition. His bail on the 樱花视频 warrant is $50,000 with a 10% option.
The third degree charge of causing false public alarm (NJS 2C:33-3a) can carry a jail term of up to five years in prison.
The case will be prosecuted by the Division of Criminal Justice within the Office of the Attorney General.
These criminal charges are mere accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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