Freehold movie theater employee made 2 bomb threats, prosecutor says

Prosecutors say a movie theater employee made two separate bomb threats this week that caused officials to evacuate the theater on both occasions.

Jesse Carroll faces two counts of second degree public false alarm. The charges stem from notes that were found Monday and Friday at the AMC movie theater at Freehold Raceway Mall.

Bail was set at $200,000 with no ten percent option for the 22-year-old Middletown man. A telephone number for him could not be located Saturday, and it wasn’t known if he has retained a lawyer.

Prosecutors say the threats were made in notes found in a men’s bathroom at the theater, containing threats to either the theater management or specific threats of bombs inside the theater.

According to authorities, the note on Friday afternoon read, “I’m coming for blood; 4pm bomb, 6pm empty mag in guests.”

No injuries were reported in the evacuations, the latter of which occurred on the opening day of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” 

“Making bomb threats in a movie theater is nothing short of domestic terrorism. Thankfully for everyone involved this was a hoax. We have wasted too much time, money and resources with these dangerous and disruptive threats,” Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said. “We will continue to fully respond to every threat to protect our citizens, but we are also going to react with the full force of the law every time threats turn out to be hoaxes.”

If convicted of public false alarm, Carroll faces a sentence of five to ten years in a New Jersey state prison for each count along with a fine of no less than $2,000 and up to the actual costs incurred by any first responder agencies.

A motive for the threats has not been disclosed.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.