Barnegat PD, is currently dealing with what may be a standoff situation in the Atlantic Heights Apartments, in Barnegat New Jersey. We are unsure what caused the original caller to request a PESS evaluation for the subject, but PESS requested a police escort at around 2pm.

PESS is the acronym for New Jersey’s Psychiatric Emergency Screening Services. PESS provides in-hospital emergency screening services, crisis intervention, stabilization and treatment as well as Mobile outreach to those who are experiencing acute psychiatric distress as well as traumatic incident debriefing.

While dispatch has said the subject is negative for registered fire arms, it was mentioned at one point that the subject may have PTSD.

The subject was spotted several times at the front door or back door of his residence, and the police have tried to reach him via the PA, but the subject closed his door at that point.

Contact was finally made via phone, but it has been mentioned multiple times that he refused to leave the residence. Units were asked to calmly ask him to reply so as to not trigger PTSD. At that point the suspect was at the front door with his shirt up before heading back inside and then coming back outside the back to smoke. Again the subject lifted his shirt and asked officers to not shoot him.

Following this incident, units were asked if they were confident there was nothing in his waist. One unit said they saw him take off his shirt and drop his pants and were confident there was nothing in his pants.

After this discussion it was mentioned they were asking the suspect to lift his shirt as they approached. This was followed by asking the original responding officer to spark up a rapport.

Units were finally able to enter the residence at 4:47pm.

Edit: This story was edited at 6:22pm, Monday March 1st, 2021 to state Atlantic Heights instead of Laurel Oaks. Laurel Oaks based on reader feedback.