A suspect is in custody after an active shooter hoax at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington County prompted a lockdown, Alina Habba, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, announced. 

Habba wrote on X on Tuesday night that "a civilian employee of the federal government is in custody for conveying false information regarding an active shooter at Joint Base McGuire."

"This kind of senseless fear-mongering and disruption will not be tolerated in my state," Habba wrote. "After everything this country has gone through, especially in light of current events, I will be sure to bring down the hammer of the law for anyone found guilty of creating unnecessary panic and undermining public trust."  

At about 10:58 a.m. on Tuesday, the base said emergency response services responded to a report of an active shooter, which prompted a lockdown. All military base personnel were asked to remain locked down until further notice. Anyone outside of the base was also urged to take cover.

Authorities arrived at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst but did not find an active shooter threat, and the lockdown was lifted just before noon. 

"Our priority is the safety and security of everyone on the installation," Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Commander Col. Michael Stefanovic said. "We worked closely with local law enforcement and emergency responders to ensure the situation was investigated and resolved as quickly as possible."