Lyndhurst Police

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A toy gun altered to look real sparked a police response at a busy Lyndhurst shopping plaza, authorities said.

On Saturday, Aug. 16, at about 2:10 p.m., Lyndhurst police received a 9-1-1 call about a male walking with “an exposed firearm in his waistband” near TJ Maxx in the Towne Centre Shopping Plaza at 421 Valley Brook Avenue, according to Lyndhurst Police Capt. Paul Haggerty.

Officers couldn’t locate the suspect at first. With the help of “the resilient eyewitness,” they spotted the male moments later entering a parked vehicle outside the AT&T store in the same plaza, Haggerty said. Sgt. Richard Jasinski, Officer Robert Litterio, Officer Michael A. Carrino, and Officer Vincent Dorio converged on the vehicle.

The suspect, identified as a juvenile, was “in fact found to be in possession of a toy replica Glock pistol, which was located in a holster within his waistband,” the captain said. The orange safety tip had been “altered with what appeared to be black marker.”

Mayor and Public Safety Commissioner Robert B. Giangeruso and Chief Richard L. Jarvis credited the witness, who “not only made the 9-1-1 [call], they remained on scene to direct the responding officers.” Jarvis said the officers “used sound tactics in mitigating an incident that had the potential of ending tragically.”

The juvenile was released on scene under delinquency procedures. On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the juvenile was charged with possession of an imitation firearm, a fourth-degree crime. 

Police said the toy had been purchased from Temu.com and warned that similar items on other e-commerce sites can “effortlessly be converted into authentic looking firearms.”