Marple Man Charged in Sept. Hostage Hoax, Police Say

A Marple Township man was charged Wednesday in connection with making a false report of a hostage situation in the township in September, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan and Marple Police Chief Thomas Murray announced late Wednesday.

Michael Anthony Adams, Jr., 22, of 215 Carlton Drive in Broomall, was charged with false report of an explosive device or weapon of mass destruction, recklessly endangering another person, false alarms to agency of public safety, and other related charges. 

Adams' arrest comes after a two month investigation into a fake hostage call that led multiple police departments and tactical teams to an empty residence at 216 Carlton Drive in Broomall, according to District Attorney Public Affairs Officer Emily Harris.

The cost of the incident was likely in the area of $5,000 plus, Murray said in September.

On Sept. 16, a 911 call was received at about 2:52 p.m., saying a man with a gun was holding a hostage in a home at 216 Carlton Drive.

According to Delaware County Communications (DELCOM) dispatchers, the 911 caller was a man who stated he was on a second floor bedroom of 216 Carton Drive and said he was being held hostage by a man who was pointing an AR-15 rifle at him, and that the man had a second gun along with an IED strapped to him. 

Neighboring police agencies arrived at the scene to assist Marple Township Police including the Delaware County Criminal Investigation (CID) bomb squad and members of the Central Delco Tactical Response Team (SWAT) team.

However, police officials quickly determined that the call was a hoax after SWAT confirmed the residence was empty and the homeowner was out of town.

While police continued to secure the area, Marple Police officers spoke with Adams and his grandmother and Adams told Marple Township Detective Larry Gerrity that he used social media and chat rooms related to programing and hacking, according to Harris. 

Adams told police that he had a problem with criminal hackers and a common way of harassment is "swatting," the act of placing a fake 911 call in order to generate a police SWAT response, according to Harris. 

Gerrity asked Adams if he had placed the fake call and he replied, no, according to the affidavit of probable cause. 

Adams gave Gerrity permission to take his computer and PS3 gaming system to see if police could find any leads as to who may have made the calls, as police suggested to Adams that perhaps he was the intended "swatting" target since the addresses were so close, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, a police scanner was also found next to Adams' computer in his bedroom and he told police he was a volunteer firefighter with Bon Air Fire Company, however Adams is not currently listed as a member on the fire company's website. 

A search warrant was later obtained for the computer devices once initial evidence of involvement of the "swatting" calls was found on the devices, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

After an extensive forensic investigation of Adam's laptop, Detective Edmond Pisani confirmed Adams was involved in the Marple "swatting" call and further analysis revealed that Adams had been in contact with others who participated in "swatting" calls in Bay County, Fla., Modesto, Calif., and Brookfield, Wis., according to Harris. 

"We believe that Michael Adams did knowingly, assist, and intentionally conspire to cause false alarms to a public agency which placed numerous residents, first responders and police in a dangerous position. Several departments responded to the false SWAT call, resulting in a significant and unnecessary loss of resources,” Whelan said in a statement. "I want to commend Detectives Edmond Pisani and Larry Gerrity for their exemplary work on this complicated case which took a great amount of time and effort."

Adams was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Robert M. D'Agostino, who set bail at $50,000 unsecured. A preliminary hearing is scheduled on Dec. 2.