Bridgewater Police investigating fake hostage situation

BRIDGEWATER — Chief Christopher Delmonte reports that the Bridgewater Police Department is investigating an incident where a prank caller alluded to a hostage situation inside a home early Tuesday morning.

At approximately 4 a.m., a Bridgewater Police dispatcher received a call on the business line from a man who said he had 10-15 hostages inside of a home on Aldrich Road and that he was going to kill the hostages if he was not given cash.

The man called the department business line numerous times, making various threats.

Police immediately responded to Aldrich Road, where they came upon the home mentioned by the caller. Officers found nothing to be out of the ordinary.

While officers were on scene, a juvenile resident of the house called 911 to report that a man she was speaking to on the social media application Houseparty had threatened to harm her. Police believe that the man the juvenile was speaking to was the same person who had called the police station making the threats.

The preliminary investigation indicates that the juvenile had been using the live video group chat app Houseparty and was chatting with three friends. A man, unknown to the girl, then gained access to the conversation and began threatening her.

This incident is being actively investigated by the Bridgewater Police Department.

Chief Delmonte encourages parents to have discussions with their children about social media use, including the Houseparty app. The app allows group video chatting, but police at this time are unsure how the unknown male suspect gained access to the juvenile’s group conversation and are investigating.

“I would like to commend all the officers involved for their professional response to the incident as reported,” Chief Delmonte said.