MANHATTAN — An anonymous caller who referenced ISIS said a person planned to shoot police officers in Philadelphia and New York City, NYPD officials said.
The NYPD received a call Tuesday from the Philadelphia Police Department stating that an individual planned to shoot an officer in Philadelphia, officials said. That call was traced to an address in Upper Manhattan, said Assistant Chief Thomas Galati of the NYPD's Counter-terrorism and Intelligence Bureau at a press conference Wednesday morning.
The NYPD then received another anonymous call, which officials believe to be the same individual, indicating that the person "was going to shoot a [NYPD] officer" and mentioning ISIS. Police said they started an investigation after receiving the second call.
On Wednesday afternoon, police said a man they identified as Marcus Shelton turned himself in to authorities in The Bronx and was being questioned regarding the threat. No further details were immediately available.
At the press conference earlier in the day, officials said the man has a criminal record and several addresses in New York.
“We are taking it serious based on what happened in Philadelphia a couple weeks ago,” Galati said, referencing the suspect who shot a police officer multiple times while claiming he did it in the name of ISIS.
The NYPD issued an officer safety alert in response to the calls.
The Philadelphia Police Department did not confirm any of the details regarding the threat, but said "we are working with both NYPD and the FBI to conduct a thorough and logical assessment and investigation in efforts to determine the credibility and validity of the threat and information gathered," the department said in a statement.
Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, issued a statement reminding officers "to be alert at all times, back each other up and to take all necessary precautions when responding to jobs"
"Be mindful that any call, regardless of how insignificant it appears to be, may be a set up," he added.
