Firefighter accused of pulling out machete at NJ firehouse & threatening to use it
A volunteer firefighter in Lawrence, New Jersey is accused of threatening to kill his fellow firefighters after an argument inside the Slackwood Fire Company. Criminal charges say James “Jay” Macheda Jr. threatened to get his gun and then grabbed a machete out of his vehicles. Other firefighters disarmed him without anyone getting hurt.
The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. on January 19, but has just been reported. NJ.com says Lawrence police did not publicize the incident when it occurred and the news site got the information from court papers. Macheda, 22, has been charged with making terrorist threats, criminal mischief and weapon possession.
The court documents say Macheda focused on one firefighter who he told to, “Shut up …or else.”
Macheda then got up to leave the room, threw an item at the victim and then threw a fire pager at a firehouse wall on the first floor, all while other members tried to calm him down, complaints say.
When the firefighters tried again to calm Macheda down, he allegedly responded with: “I am going to kill you.”
Moments later Macheda allegedly threatened to bring his gun to the firehouse and shoot the victim, the complaints say.
Once outside, Macheda threw a cigarette disposal stand at the victim’s vehicle and then went to his own vehicle. The complaints say Macheda retrieved a machete from the backseat and threatened to kill the victim, and others.
