the staff of the Ridgewood blog
SOUTH PLAINFIELD NJ, Authorities this morning canceled a Labor Day Parade here this morning as they undertake “an active investigation” in this blue collar Middlesex County town, according to the South Plainfield Police Department.
The event was the first scheduled stop on Governor Phil Murphy’s two-stop campaign kickoff tour today.
According to NBC news , “Multiple small explosive devices have been found on a property near the Labor Day parade route that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was supposed to be marching in Monday morning, senior law-enforcement officials tell NBC 4.”
Thomas G. Kaiser, 55, of South Plainfield was arrested and charged with one count of possession of a destructive device for an unlawful purpose, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. It is anticipated that additional charges will be forthcoming.
An investigation began in Monmouth County when a suspicious package with a destructive device was left at Donovan’s Reef in Sea Bright. An investigation by the Sea Bright Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office led to Kaiser’s residence in South Plainfield, according to the Monmouth County prosecutors Office.
During the investigation, it was learned that there were other destructive devices near his home which was located in the vicinity of the start of the South Plainfield Labor Day Parade, prompting its cancellation, according to the MCPO.