‘Swatting’ hoax incident interrupts a video broadcast in Keyport

Monmouth County law enforcement units and a keyport man in the midst of a live broadcast on YouTube were victims of a "swatting" hoax on Sunday afternoon.

Keyport police say they received an anonymous call claiming that a man had stabbed a woman, was holding a second woman hostage and had threatened to shoot police.

Officers from several surrounding communities and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office responded to the apartment on Broad Street to find a man known as "Fist Pump" doing a live broadcast on You Tube and You Now.

In a video of the broadcast, someone can be heard yelling, which gets the attention of "Fist Pump."  Armed officers can be seen with "Fist Pump" walking around the apartment. Police determine that the incident was a hoax of the kind now known as "swatting" and leave the apartment. The young man then returns to the broadcast and excitedly tells his audience, "I just got swatted...a You Now first."

"Swatting" is the term for false alarm calls reporting a major incident, such as a shooting or hostage situation, with the objective of getting law enforcement tactical teams to respond in force, creating a public spectacle.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office continues to investigate the incident.