Watch CBS News

Man Arrested In Connection To Gun Scare At NJ Walmart

UNION, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – A man was arrested Thursday night in connection to a false alarm that forced an evacuation at a New Jersey Walmart.

It happened at the store on Springfield Road in Union.

Police got a call just before 11 a.m. Thursday from a person who saw a man wearing a mask and armed with what appeared to be a gun inside the store.

Employees got customers out of the store while multiple agencies responded. No gun was found and the store reopened Thursday afternoon.

According to police, 20-year-old Joshua Phillips, of Newark, turned himself in to police Thursday night.

The Union County prosecutor's office says the gun witnesses saw Phillips carrying was actually a large black airsoft gun. Phillips allegedly took the gun out of its packaging in the store.

The incident happened just 12 days after a lone gunman killed 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.