An Egg Harbor Township man wanted in connection with an arson investigation was found armed with a handgun and threatening suicide inside his vehicle at the Absecon Sports Complex, touching off a roughly three-hour standoff that shut down the area and put nearby schools on shelter-in-place Monday morning. Police identified the man as 55-year-old Robert McNeill. He surrendered without incident once negotiators and crisis responders worked the scene to a safe end.
The chain of events began shortly after 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 26, when Absecon officers were asked to help the Egg Harbor Township Police Department track down a suspect wanted in that arson case, according to Patch. Officers found McNeill at the Sports Complex at 1000 Morton Ave., where he had barricaded himself inside his vehicle while armed and threatening to harm himself, per the same report.
Evacuations and School Shelter-in-Place Orders Follow
As the standoff unfolded, authorities evacuated nearby residents and secured the surrounding area, while some nearby Absecon schools were placed on shelter-in-place status, Patch's report notes. The Absecon Police Department, in a statement recognized through its press release, said the precautionary measures were meant to protect the public while officers worked toward a safe resolution.
Additional resources poured in as the standoff dragged on, including Atlantic County SWAT, crisis negotiators and mental health professionals, Patch's report states. Atlantic County SWAT is a multi-agency regional tactical team commanded by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, according to Shore Local News, and its members are on call around the clock, able to respond immediately when barricaded-suspect and hostage situations arise.
Standoff Ends Peacefully After Three Hours
After approximately three hours, McNeill surrendered without incident, bringing the tense situation to a close. The Absecon Police Department credited the coordinated, multi-agency response as instrumental in bringing the incident to a safe conclusion, and thanked the public for its patience, cooperation and understanding throughout the response.
The department also recognized assistance from the Galloway Township Police Department, the Egg Harbor Township Police Department, the Atlantic County Crisis Negotiation Team, the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office, Atlantic County OEM, Galloway EMS and AtlantiCare paramedics, according to the Absecon Police Department's account shared on Facebook.
Barricade situations are not unheard of in the region. A separate Egg Harbor Township standoff in 2023 stretched roughly 12 hours at a Tremont Avenue home before police made an arrest, and officers said at the time that no one was injured in that disturbance, as reported by The Press of Atlantic City. That earlier case ended with the man released from jail and scheduled to appear before a judge later that month.
