Power outage behind man's threats to kidnap JCP&L employee, bomb substation

VERNON — A 63-year-old man whose home had been without power since Friday’s nor'easter was arrested after police said he threatened to kidnap a utility company employee and bomb an electrical substation.

Robert Winter of Vernon’s Glenwood section was remanded to Sussex County Jail following the threat on Monday and charged with third-degree terroristic threats, police said.

Winter made the threats after calling Jersey Central Power and Light’s call center to complain about a continuing service outage triggered by last week’s storm, according to police. Winter “quickly became agitated and threatened to kidnap a JCP&L employee,” a statement from the department read.

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Police said Winter went on to indicate he was adept at bomb making and would blow-up a substation to prevent everyone from having power.

A security investigator from JCP&L subsequently called local police, who contacted the Sussex County Prosecutors Office before arresting Winter at his home without incident, police said. Winter was then booked in Sussex County Jail, police added. Jail records show Winter was no longer detained on Tuesday afternoon.

Power returned to Winter’s Glenwood community by about 2:30 p.m. on Monday, according to a Facebook post from the township’s Office of Emergency Management.

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