Hoax shooting and hostage situation in Malverne

In what turned out to be a horrible hoax, Malverne and Nassau County police responded to a call for “shots fired” and a possible hostage situation in Malverne on Friday, Dec. 5, prompting a team of hostage negotiators, emergency services workers and the Bureau of Special Operations to rush to the scene. The police investigated the suspected area, located on Alnwick Street, for over three hours before determining the situation was a hoax and the area was safe.

“We kept hearing on a loudspeaker ‘put the weapon down and come out peacefully’”, said one Malverne resident who wished to remain anonymous. “It was a very tense situation.”

According to information received from Nassau County police, a call from a number not traceable to any of the suspected houses on Alnwick Street had been received about 5:48 p.m. that night.

“I don’t live on that street, “ said another anonymous resident, “but I am very close to it and neighbors there had come over to our street when they couldn’t get into their home."

Chief John Aresta of the Malverne Police told the Herald that they focused on three houses on Alnwick Street for a possible gunman. “We searched each house and spoke to its residents to make sure there wasn’t any harm. When each house checked out, we moved onto the next one,” said Aresta. “We had to exhaust all possibilities.”

An anonymous source who lives near the street said police activity seemed to focus on one particular tudor-style house surrounded by bushes and trees.

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