A Bridgewater Police cruiser. (Bridgewater Police Department)
BRIDGEWATER (WBZ-AM) -- It's known as 'swatting'--calling in a false report to police to generate a response by law enforcement.
That's what happened early Tuesday morning when Bridgewater Police got a call from a man who claimed he would kill 10 to 15 hostages if he was not given money. They responded to a home on Aldrich Road, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Neighbors told WBZ-TV they were troubled by the "prank."
"They have a lot of other things to do besides do this swatting thing," one man said.
While police were at the scene, a young girl who lives there called 911 to report that a man she was speaking to on social media app House Party had threatened to harm her. Investigators believe it's the same man who called police.
West Bridgewater Police Chief Victor Flaherty said he was not amused.
"We're not treating this as a prank," he said. "This is treated as a serious event. And this is a dangerous situation. We have police officers responding at a higher speed."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker (@radiobenparker) reports