A passerby's 911 call about a bleeding man carrying what appeared to be a knife near Grant Elementary School sent Ridgefield Park into a tense Wednesday morning scramble, triggering a shelter-in-place before police tracked the man down just blocks away. Officers say the 32-year-old Ridgefield Park resident was taken into custody without incident, and that students were never in danger.
According to Daily Voice, the passerby called 911 around 11:15 a.m. after spotting a man walking on Teaneck Road near the school carrying what looked like a knife. The caller also reported that the man appeared to be bleeding from his head, details that prompted an immediate precaution at the nearby campus.
School Locked Down As Officers Searched The Area
Grant Elementary School was placed into a shelter-in-place while officers worked to pin down exactly what was happening nearby, per the same account. A sergeant identified as Sgt. Madan conducted a security check at the school before locating the man at Orchard and Henry streets, adjacent to the campus.
Once officers reached him, they identified the man as Elmer A. Sutujchitay, 32, of Ridgefield Park, and found he was carrying a machete rather than the knife initially described by the caller, the report notes. He was arrested without incident and taken to a hospital while in police custody, with several charges still pending.
Police Say Dispute Began Over Parking Complaint
Investigators said the confrontation stemmed from a dispute with several people over a parking complaint, though the report does not detail what led from that disagreement to the machete and head injury described by the 911 caller. Police maintained that there was no threat to the school at any point during the response, and the shelter-in-place was lifted once the scene was cleared.
In Edmond, Oklahoma, police arrested a teenager after he allegedly threatened another person with a machete, according to KFOR.
