Prosecutor: Man Charged with False Alarm, Destructive Device Possession in St. Pat’s Parade Cancellation Incident

A 56-year-old man who alerted law enforcement officials to a possibly suspicious device found in Keansburg on the morning of the Borough’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, causing the cancellation of the parade, is facing charges in connection with the incident, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Tuesday.

Christopher J. Otis, of Brick, has been charged with one count of second-degree false public alarm, third-degree possession of a destructive device, and third-degree providing false information to a police officer stemming from the parade incident.

Otis is currently being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending future court proceedings.

The incident background …

On Saturday, March 28, at approximately 10:45 a.m., Keansburg police responded to the area of Beachway and Bayview avenues on a report of a suspicious device. The caller, later identified as Otis, had originally told responding officers that he found the device in the vicinity of the beach, just off of a walking path.

Otis also revealed he was employed by Brookdale Community College as the Fire Safety and Environmental Compliance officer. Responding officers located the device near the staging area for participants in the upcoming parade.

An investigation was immediately launched, with the staging area near the parade route secured, and out of an abundance of caution, the parade was ultimately cancelled. In a coordinated effort, several K9 units conducted a thorough search of the entire area and parade route, which yielded no further discoveries.

An investigation, led by members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau, Keansburg Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, revealed conflicting accounts of Otis’ involvement in finding the device.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office