03/06/05 - Posted from
the Daily Record newsroom
By Eugene Mulero, Daily Record
A Morris County Daily Record
Reprint
WASHINGTON
TWP. -- A 33-year-old armed Forest View Drive man whom
police charged with threatening to kill a woman
barricaded himself at his home, initiating a standoff
that ended at 3:25 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.
After Brendan Donnelly met police while holding a
handgun, officers from Washington Township, Hackettstown
and Mount Olive, along with members of the Morris County
Prosecutor's Major Crimes Unit, the negotiations team
and the sheriff's office's Special Emergency Response
Team, or SERT, converged on the scene, closing roads and
evacuating neighbors, authorities said.
Donnelly barricaded himself inside his home for nearly
half an hour, authorities said.
"We got a call from the police at about 3:30 a.m. and we
were told to immediately leave the house," said Kathy
Halsey, one of Donnelly's next-door neighbors.
Halsey said the residents did as instructed. With a
police officer positioned at her garage, Halsey and her
stepson got in her car and drove away from the area with
the headlights off. They went to the nearby Old Farmers
Road School and waited in the parking lot for about two
hours until police told them that the suspect had been
arrested.
Donnelly was charged with possession of a weapon for an
unlawful purpose, two counts of possession of an assault
rifle, possession of hollow point bullets and two counts
of making terroristic threats. He is being held at the
Morris County jail. Bail was set on Saturday night at
$500,000.
Morris County Prosecutor Michael Rubbinaccio said the
incident began when Hackettstown and Washington Township
police officers went to arrest Donnelly in connection
with a complaint of terroristic threats filed by a
Hackettstown woman.
Rubbinaccio said the victim, a waitress at a local
restaurant, filed the complaint after receiving numerous
phone calls from Donnelly, who frequented the restaurant
at which she worked. During some of those phone calls,
Rubbinaccio said, Donnelly threatened to kill her.
Rubbinaccio declined to identify the woman or to comment
on the nature of the relationship between her and
Donnelly, simply saying, "I'm not going to categorize
the relationship other than to say that the two knew
each other."
When officers knocked on Donnelly's door at around 3:25
a.m., they received no response, but officers could hear
someone moving inside the house, said Joseph Devine, the
prosecutor's chief of investigations.
Through a window, Washington Township police Sgt.
Christopher Bratus saw that Donnelly was holding a
handgun, Devine said.
Shortly thereafter, Donnelly left the house still
holding the weapon and stood on the front porch for a
few minutes and spoke with police before retreating back
into the house, Devine said.
Authorities would not comment on that conversation, but
Devine said Bratus' composure was crucial in preventing
the matter from escalating.
At that time, Devine said, the officers established a
perimeter around the house, closing off Forest View
Drive and a section of Old Farmers Road and evacuating
Donnelly's immediate neighbors as a precaution.
"That would be standard police procedure when initiating
contact with an armed suspect," Rubbinaccio said of the
evacuation procedure and the presence of an ambulance in
the neighborhood.
Authorities did not specify how many residents were
evacuated during the incident.
Meanwhile Bratus attempted to communicate with Donnelly
by placing several phone calls to the home, where
Donnelly had barricaded himself, Devine said.
By doing so, Devine said, Bratus distracted the suspect
and kept him busy until additional forces arrived.
"Evidently, had the initial response not been as
professional as it was, we may never have had the
opportunity to successfully negotiate a conclusion to
this," Devine said.
"I truly commend the professionalism of the Washington
Township patrol, particularly of Sgt. Bratus."
The tactical operation was coordinated by Cpl. Paul
Carifi Jr. of the Morris County Sheriff's Office, while
the chief negotiator was Detective Donald Dangler of the
prosecutor's office.
Donnelly surrendered after 25 minutes.
Officers said they found numerous weapons and ammunition
at Donnelly's house. The total number of weapons and
ammunition taken as evidence was not available on
Saturday evening.
Halsey said she didn't know Donnelly but was aware that
he had at least one gun in his home.
Halsey said Donnelly had been living in the neighborhood
for about three years, but "I didn't really see much of
him."
Rubbinaccio said the investigation will focus on
determining the types of weapons that Donnelly had and
whether he had the appropriate permits for them.
"Although the neighborhood was somewhat disturbed in the
(early) morning, peace was restored without resorting to
violence," Devine said.
