Secaucus hospital marketing director caught with rifle after police probed bomb threat

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The marketing director at Hudson Regional Hospital was caught with an assault rifle after the Secaucus Police Department discovered a cache of weapons while investigating a bomb threat last month.

Reuven Alonalayoff. Photo courtesy of the Secaucus Police Department.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

Reuven Alonalayoff, 46, of Elmwood Park, is charged with possession of an assault firearm and two counts of possession of a high capacity magazine, Police Chief Dennis Miller said.

He was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport with assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations.

On July 18th at approximately 3:10 p.m., Hudson Regional Hospital, located at 55 Meadowlands Parkway, received a phone call that a bomb was in the hospital.

Secaucus police responded to the hospital, along with bomb detection canines from the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office and Bayonne Police Department.

During a safety sweep of the hospital, the bomb detection canine gave a positive indication on an unlocked closet within an office. 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.

Additionally, a fourteen 14-round, high-capacity handgun magazine was also seized. The bomb threat was later determined to be a hoax.

“The unsecured storage of a large cache of weaponry, especially in this location, certainly creates a risk to public safety,” Miller added.

“I commend the efforts and professionalism of all the police personnel involved in this investigation and am thankful this situation was resolved without anyone being harmed.”

This afternoon, HRH said the firearms were stored in a locked office on an administrative floor of the hospital “that was occupied by a non-employee consultant.”

“The items were immediately removed from the site and were impounded by Secaucus Police, who found no other presence of firearms in the building. Law enforcement subsequently has not approached Hudson Regional Hospital at any level regarding any legal issues related to the impounded items,” they explained.

“If requested, we will provide further support to law enforcement regarding the continuing investigation into this matter. The presence of weapons in a hospital is inexcusable beyond comprehension and contradicts our mission of care and our commitment to the safety of our community of staff, patients and the extended community. 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.”

 

Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from Hudson Regional Hospital.


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