San Jose man arrested for swatting calls and bomb threats targeting ex-girlfriend, schools

PIX Now - Morning Edition 9/14/23

SAN JOSE – Police in San Jose have arrested a man suspected of making multiple hoax swatting calls and bomb threats, including calls that targeted his ex-girlfriend and local schools.

Officers said the calls took place between September 1 and September 11, targeting locations in San Jose, Redwood City and Kansas City, Missouri.

Many of the calls involved the suspect's ex-girlfriend and her family. Police said on September 4, officers responded to her home after a caller claimed he was going to shoot himself.

Officers responded to the same residence on Monday to perform a welfare check after an out-of-state police department said they received an online message saying a resident was going to kill his family. San Jose officers responded to the home and found all occupants alive and well.

"The suspect had a history of making threats against the female and her current husband, and had an active felony warrant for his arrest," police said.  

Investigators also linked the suspect to bomb threats targeting Yerba Buena High School in San Jose and the San Jose Unified School District. The suspect claimed he was a resident of the same address and planned to blow up the campuses.

49-year-old Efren Loredo of San Jose is suspected of making multiple swatting calls and bomb threats targeting his ex-girlfriend's family and schools. San Jose Police Department

On Monday, officers obtained a search warrant for the suspect, identified as 49-year-old Efren Loredo. Police said he was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on the warrant and other charges.

According to jail records, Loredo is being held on $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call Detective Martinez of the San Jose Police Department's assaults unit over email or by calling 408-277-4161.

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