N.J. Dept. of Health fines Hudson Regional Hospital in Secaucus $63k over weapons cache

0

The New Jersey Department of Health has fined Hudson Regional Hospital in Secaucus $63,000 over a weapons cache being discovered in at the facility in August as local police looked into a bomb threat.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

The four-page notice of assessment of penalties, issued on November 30th, says that HRH violated state code for not notifying them within three hours that Secaucus police investigated a bomb threat and then discovered 38 different types of weapons.

“The facility was also in violation of N.J.A.C. 8:36-11(b), because the facility failed to maintain a violence prevention plan and implement policies and procedures to maintain a safe hospital environment,” the letter says, noting that staff were on site for a complaint survey on August 22nd – about a month after the incident in question.

“Survey determined that the facility security staff failed to inquire about and identify unidentified items brought into the facility by a former employee. Additionally, a facility staffer became aware of the weapons stored in the former employee’s unlocked closet and failed to report this to security.”

The hospital is being fined $61,000, $1,000 a day from when a staff member left the firearms in the closet (July 11th) until security staff was educated on how to maintain a safe hospital environment (September 9th).

They also received additional $1,000 fines, two total, for not reporting the bomb threat and/or weapons cache discovery to the NJ DOH in a timely fashion.

On July 18th at approximately 3:10 p.m., during a safety sweep of the hospital, the bomb detection canine gave a positive indication on an unlocked closet within an office, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said at the time.

Upon entering the closet, police discovered a large cache of rifles, shotguns and handguns, along with assorted ammunition for the firearms.

A total of 11 handguns of various calibers, and 27 rifles/shotguns were discovered. A Kriss Vector .45 caliber semi-automatic rifle with a high-capacity magazine was also recovered and determined to be an assault rifle.

As a result, Reuven Alonalayoff, 46, of Elmwood Park, was charged with possession of an assault firearm and two counts of possession of a high capacity magazine.

He was described as the marketing director at the hospital by police, though HRH referred to him as a consultant.

“While regrettable, this incident has given us occasion to review security protocols and we have taken steps to assure that it will never happen again,” the hospital said at the time.

Police body camera footage of the incident released in August provided a glimpse of what it looked like when police discovered the weapons (video embedded above), as HCV first reported.

HRH did not immediately return an email seeking comment.


Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in /home/hcvcp/public_html/wp-content/themes/Hudson County View/includes/wp_booster/td_block.php on line 353

LEAVE A REPLY