Hundreds Evacuated After Threat to Cranford Business Park Building

A anonymous caller made a threat to the building at 20 Commerce Drive in the Cranford Business Park off of Raritan Road this afternoon, causing police to respond and evacuate employees.

According to Cranford Detective Sergeant Gerard P. Quinn, the call was received around 1 p.m. from an undetermined location.

"The caller asked to speak with a supervisor and made a nonspecific threat to the building," said Quinn.

Approximately 400 employees of several different companies housed in the office building were in the process of evacuating when police arrived. Cranford fire, police and EMS units were on the scene along with Union County police and K-9 units and Union EMS.

Quinn said that although the caller did not specify the threat, police treated it as a worst case scenario, assuming an explosive device within the building. They swept the building with the county K-9 unit and, finding nothing, gave the all clear and allowed employees back in just before 3 p.m.

"We heard stomping down the stairs and didn't know what was going on," said Lori Pisan, an employee at Jersey Mortgage. "Our receptionist called down to the front desk and they told us to evacuate. Then the fire alarms went off, too."

"They kept pushing us farther and farther away," said Kim Nardini, another Jersey Mortgage employee. "They wouldn't let us go to our cars or leave because they were too close to the building."

Cranford EMS and Fire set up tents and fans and gave out water to keep workers cool in the 90-degree heat. Police did not evacuate neighboring buildings.  Quinn said police have no leads at this point and are working to determine the caller's location.

The large four-story building houses branches of several corporations, including Bank of America, Canon, Allied Brokerage Services, Weiss-Rohlig, CleanNet, Chinook Sciences, Jersey Mortgage Company and others.