SHARE

Juvenile Who Lives In Europe Arrested In Norwalk SWATing Incident

NORWALK, Conn. -- A juvenile who lives in Europe has been arrested on charges of making a prank "SWATing" call to Norwalk police in August.

Norwalk police identified a European juvenile as being responsible for an incident in August that brought tactical response teams to a home on Kendall Court.

Norwalk police identified a European juvenile as being responsible for an incident in August that brought tactical response teams to a home on Kendall Court.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue

In the early hours of Aug. 20, Norwalk police received a call from a blocked number. The caller identified himself as an Army veteran living on Kendall Court who said he was armed with several firearms, police said. He told the dispatcher that he would open his door for officers and then the dispatcher heard what sounded like four gunshots, according to police reports.

The Norwalk Police Department Emergency Services Unit Tactical Response Team responded to the scene and established a perimeter, police said. The homeowner came out and spoke with officers, and it was determined that the call had not been made from the residence and was a hoax, police said.

Detective Justin Bisceglie took over the investigation and began interviewing members of the household. His investigation determined that the incident had begun in two online chat rooms with a member of the Kendall Court household, police said. At some point, police said the suspect became angry with the resident and initiated the SWATing call as retaliation.

Bisceglie was able to determine the identity of the suspect within 24 hours, police said. The suspect was identified as a juvenile from Europe who has extensive hacking history, according to police. The call was placed through the Internet and rerouted through other phone numbers to mask its origin.

Bisceglie obtained a court order to confirm the identity of the suspect, and provided the information to the FBI, which was aware of the suspect and forwarded the information to the proper authorities, according to police.

Because the suspect is a juvenile, his name cannot be released, and he cannot be extradited to the United States.

Norwalk police said he has been arrested and will be prosecuted in his jurisdiction for the SWATing incident.

to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE