NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—According to police radio transmissions, a man driving a 1998 gold Cadillac Deville threatened to blow up the Ferren Mall and Parking Garage yesterday shortly before 3pm.

But, as it turned out, the man had only expressed his “hope” that al-Qaeda would “take over” the United States and “blow up” the parking deck.

A dispatcher asked an NBPD officer to change course and report to the deck after receiving the alarming call from parking authority employees at about 2:56pm.

“Come over to the Ferren deck on the Church Street side of the Ferren Deck.  I’m on the phone with the parking authority.  They’re with a male outside of a tan Cadillac, the male is threatening to blow up the Ferren deck.”

“If he’s gonna blow it up, you might want to get that dog over there, get some sniffing going on,” the officer responded.

Of course, the deck did not blow up and officers declared the situation was “all clear” at about 3:16pm.

No arrest was made according to NBPA Executive Director Mitch Karon.

“Disgruntled patron said ‘I hope Al Quaida takes over the country and blows up this deck.’  We called police, they let him go without arrest. He still had to pay for his parking,” Karon said in an email to NewBrunswickToday.com

The car was registered to Michael Rogers, 56, of Linden, according to the police radio transmissions.

Editor at New Brunswick Today | 732-993-9697 | editor@newbrunswicktoday.com | Website

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.