An armed robbery in Dennis Township led to a shelter in place order and schools being closed in the area as a manhunt was underway. Two suspected thieves were seen on surveillance video stealing a dirt bike from a home. The owner realized what was happening and chased after them which led to shots being fired. New Jersey State Police searched for the suspects. NBC10’s Ted Greenberg has the details.
A dirt bike robbery where shots were fired in Dennis Township led to a temporary shelter-in-place order and schools being cancelled for the day in the area as a manhunt was underway.
The Dennis Township School District posted a message to its social media pages and website around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10 urging parents to keep their children indoors due to "danger in our area."
Then, around 9 a.m., the district canceled school for the day.
"Due to the continued threat in our area and in concern for the safety of our students and staff, school is cancelled for today," a message on the Cape May Court House-based district's website said. "There is no school today, September 10, 2024."
New Jersey State Police just after noon on Tuesday said that the shelter-in-place had been lifted and there were no active threats.
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What prompted the shelter-in-place was an armed robbery that was caught on surveillance video at a home, according to the victim.
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Jesse Gery shared surveillance video of two suspects wheeling his dirt bike out of his driveway and away from his home.
Gery said they took the dirt bike out a trailer that they initially broke into inside his garage where they also took his gun, wallet and keys to his trailer.
The victim said shots were fired at him as he chased after the thieves but no one was hurt.
“That was definitely frightening. I woke up this morning and that’s the first thing I hear. Immediately thought the worst," Colin Gery, the victim's son said.
New Jersey State Police had a chopper that could be seen hovering over the area as troopers on the ground had a U-Haul truck stopped on the side of the road up the street from Gery's home.
“Immediately I think that’s their vehicle. If you pay attention to other dirt bikes that get stolen, they’re all done in U-Hauls," Colin said.
Another victim of dirt bike theft said his was stolen from his grandfather's garage nearby just two nights ago.
“I bought that bike, not even, like, a whole week ago. I mean, I worked my whole entire summer to get this bike," Bradley Bianchino said.
Police had yet to reveal that exact details of the incident that led up to the school closure.
This is a developing story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.
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