A civilian employee of the U.S. Department of the Navy faces charges for allegedly reporting a false active shooter at a New Jersey military base. The authorities believe this act was purportedly performed so the accused could ‘trauma bond’ with her colleagues, as stated in the criminal complaint.
Reports from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, located outside Trenton, indicate that the base was on lockdown following an active shooter alert on Tuesday morning. Approximately an hour later, the lockdown was lifted, with authorities later clarifying that the initial reports were unfounded.
The evidence suggests that the civilian employee, identified as Malika Brittingham, sent a text message to an unnamed individual around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday. She claimed to have heard five to six gunshots and that she, along with her colleagues, was hiding in a closet. The recipient of the text message, believing the claims to be true, then contacted the Base Defense Operations Center and 911, which led to an active shooter notification being sent to the base’s entire workforce.
The significance becomes clear when we consider that after authorities determined there was no active shooter, Brittingham was interviewed. Initially, she told investigators that she sent the text message about the shooting only after receiving the emergency notification. However, a review of the timings of the calls made to the Base Defense Operations Center and 911, and the issuance of the emergency notification, revealed a discrepancy, proving that Brittingham’s statement was untrue.
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Upon further questioning, Brittingham admitted to fabricating the active shooter threat. She explained that she orchestrated this hoax because she felt ostracized by her colleagues and hoped that a shared experience in response to an active shooter would enable them to ‘trauma bond.’
Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba, has stated that such alleged conduct will not be tolerated. She condemned the ‘senseless fear-mongering and disruption’ and pledged to uphold the law against anyone found guilty of creating unnecessary panic and undermining public trust. As of now, it is unclear whether Brittingham has legal representation.
