STATEN ISLAND — Photos of a group of people with what police believe to be paintball guns raised false alarms with the NYPD and set off a borough-wide search that spread to New Jersey, police said.
A flier circulated to the NYPD, and posted on social media, shows a photo of a group of people entering and exiting two SUVS carrying what appear to be assault rifles. The photos were purportedly taken by a retired NYPD officer in Midland Beach, according to the flier.
Officials believe the weapons were not real guns, though they were built to look like them, according to an NYPD statement.
"Interviews conducted by NYPD and FBI investigators in New Jersey have revealed that the registered owner of one of the vehicles indicated that he was planning to go paintball shooting with friends today," police said in a statement Friday evening. "The investigation is continuing.”
The alert came in the wake of a deadly series of shootings Thursday at a Chattanooga, Tennessee military recruiting station and naval operations center that left four Marines dead and three others wounded.
Fort Wadsworth was shut down to the public at about 2 p.m. after the U.S. Coast Guard received an unverified threat, a spokeswoman for the National Parks Service said. All non-essential personnel at the park and base were sent home, the spokeswoman said.
Due to NYPD activity, there are extensive traffic delays on #StatenIsland bound crossings. Use alternate routes if possible.
— NYCEM - Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) July 17, 2015
