Crime & Safety
Fire Alarm Pulled at Community Medical Center
Scanner reports of hostage situation denied
A pulled fire alarm at Community Medical Center on Thursday afternoon led to the dispatching of firefighters to the hospital on Route 37.
Exact details of the incident, however, remain murky.
John Lightbody, fire chief of Toms River Fire District 1, said the department was called for a fire alarm shortly after 3 p.m. because a patient pulled a manual fire alarm in the hospital's parking garage.
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Engines 25 and 26 were dispatched, but the dispatch was canceled shortly after it was issued, Lightbody said.
"We were notified of the situation but found there was no fire," Lightbody said.
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Emergency services radio transmissions indicated the patient had a hostage, but Jean M. Flaherty, director of marketing and public relations for the hospital, said that was not the case.
"There is no hostage at Community Medical Center," Flaherty said.
She said she was unable to provide any further information on the incident, citing patient confidentiality issues.
