Swatting incident causes scare at Fort Lee Pizza Hut

FORT LEE (WABC) -- A swatting incident caused a scare at a Pizza Hut on Route 46 in Fort Lee on Sunday evening.

The police activity also caused heavy delays on the George Washington Bridge and surrounding areas.

Just before 11 p.m. SWAT teams entered the restaurant with their weapons drawn, going from one portion of the restaurant to another, scouring the whole inside of the facility.

Around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, an emergency call was made for help at the Pizza Hut. The SWAT team arrived, and workers and customers were allowed to leave with their hands in the air, including young children.

Eyewitness News has learned that a robot did gain entry into the restaurant.

Fort Lee Police Chief Keith Bendul says this is their third swatting incident recently. He estimates that it costs about $15,000 in manpower for each bogus call. The caller often uses the internet, even gaming systems to make the calls, going from router to router so that they are untraceable.

Route 46 was closed in both directions near the Pizza Hut, as the public is held a safe distance away.