November 14, 2023, East Orange, NJ: Mayor Ted R. Green, Public Safety Director Maurice Boyd and Chief of Police Phyllis L. Bindi have heightened police patrols in the area of Lincoln Street and Springdale Avenue in the wake of a daytime shooting that occurred on Monday, November 13, 2023.
The intended victim was not struck, however, East Orange Campus High School, Wahlstrom Academy and the Hart Middle School Complex were temporarily placed on lockdown as police searched for the suspect, who fired at least four shots in that vicinity around 12:05pm.
Since then, EOPD has placed Lincoln Street between Springdale and Park Avenues on police lockdown with a designated officer patrolling the area’s four-block radius 24 hours a day.
“Although this incident did not directly involve our schools or our students, it does not diminish the severity of the crime,” said Mayor Green. “We want our residents to feel safe in all areas of our city no matter what time it is. EOPD has been working relentlessly to get guns out of the wrong hands, but bail reform is allowing illegal gun holders to escape justice over and over again.”
Director Boyd said EOPD has confiscated 18 illegal guns in the past 28 days, bringing the year-to-date total of seized guns to 77.
“That is unacceptable. Protecting the peace is increasingly difficult when a convicted felon caught with an illegal firearm is back out on the street within a couple of weeks,” said Boyd.
Chief Bindi is encouraging all residents to report any suspicious activity by calling the EOPD Tips Hotline at 973.266-5041.
“We need everyone to be our eyes and ears,” Bindi said. “No tip is too small. The more we know, the more we protect our precious children and the citizens of our community.”
