What to Know
- An 18-year-old NJ man has been arrested for allegedly making two calls to Paramus Police reporting a bomb was at Bergen Community College
- The calls forced the school to evacuate its three campuses and prompted a huge emergency response; nothing sinister was found
- Investigators say Nicholas Donnamurra also made a similar call to the Saddle Brook Police Department late last month
An 18-year-old New Jersey man has been arrested on charges of making terroristic threats and causing a false public alarm for allegedly making two calls to the Paramus Police Department claiming there was a bomb on the campus of Bergen Community College earlier this week.
The threats, allegedly phoned in by Nicholas Donnarumma, a maintenance worker who lives in Saddle Brook, prompted a huge, multi-agency emergency response and forced the school to evacuate all three of its campuses -- in Paramus, Hackensack and Lyndhurst -- on Monday afternoon.
First responders found there was no emergency and no bomb at the college and the evacuation order was lifted within a few hours. Investigators traced the calls to Donnarumma, authorities said Wednesday. They also learned he allegedly placed a similar call to the Saddle Brook Police Department on Oct. 27, reporting a bomb had been planted at a local business. That call triggered a similar sweeping emergency response and again nothing sinister was found.
Donnarumma was arrested Tuesday in Paramus and charged in connection with both cases. He was released pending a court appearance next month. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney.
Together, Bergen's three campuses serve more than 32,000 students in degree, continuing education and adult education programs. Bergen, a two-year public college, is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
