A Georgia man was arrested by Port Authority detectives Tuesday night for allegedly calling in a phony 911 call about a sniper near the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey, according to law enforcement officials.
Donald Wallace, 39, of College Park, Georgia, was arrested at 11:50 p.m. on 47th Street and 11th Avenue and charged with making terroristic threats and creating false public alarm, according to New York and New Jersey police officials.
Wallace allegedly called 911 with a prerecorded message warning that a “D.C. sniper is here in your city,” according to Detective Sergeant Thomas White, counterterrorism coordinator for the Weehawken Police. The phone call was traced to a building two blocks from the Lincoln Tunnel, then again at a lumber company, before being traced to Manhattan, where he was arrested by NYPD and Port Authority police.
Meanwhile, light rail and bus service to New Jersey was affected by SWAT teams from Port Authority and NJ Transit police checking into an unrelated report of an armed passenger, White said.
Wallace is being held at Manhattan Central Booking until he can be brought to New Jersey to face the charges. Wallace has a rap sheet for allegedly making similar threats and harassment, as well as a weapons charge, according to White.
