New Jersey Man Threatens To Run Over People At Coronavirus Test Site, Arrested

A man in New Jersey threatened to run over people who would visit a nearby coronavirus test site outside a drug store.

Jacob M. Carr, 30, posted the threat on a community Facebook page. He was apparently unhappy with the Ride Aid outlet on Clements Bridge Road doubling up as a COVID-19 test site, the State Attorney General’s Office said on Monday. It was not said when he posted the message.

"I'm gonna run you all over with my SUV if I see anyone getting tested," he wrote using a fake social media account. The threat sparked panic among the residents and they tipped off the police leading to Carr’s arrest on Sunday (April 19).

"The part about this story that's important is that people saw it on Facebook and did the right thing and called the police," Col. Pat Callahan, superintendent of New Jersey State Police, said at a press conference. Barrington police reached Carr’s home on Sunday, where he confessed to making the threats but said he didn’t mean to harm anybody. He was charged with terroristic threats during an emergency, obstruction and violating an executive order.

The “self-swab” drive-through test site, a part of the three sites opened by the drugstore chain in New Jersey, became functional from Monday. The tests, conducted in the store’s parking lot, would be supervised by the Ride Aid pharmacists. They would conduct over 200 tests per day between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Patch reported. Those seeking to be tested should produce a government-approved identity card so as to prove they were at least 18 years old. The time slots would be provided on the basis of prior online registration.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on March 21 enforced a stay-at-home order in the state, limiting the movement of roughly nine million people, to deter the coronavirus from spreading further. Many people have since faced charges for allegedly violating the order.

The state has reported as many as 8,8806 COVID-19 cases as of Monday, with 4,377 deaths, according to the state health department.