UPDATE: Thomas J. Wilkie on Monday was charged with possession of a firearm in or upon the grounds of an educational institution, a third-degree crime.

WESTFIELD – A Delaware man armed with a handgun and more than 100 rounds of ammunition was arrested Thursday outside an elementary school after classes were dismissed for the day.

Thomas J. Wilkie, 46, of Bear, has been charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of hollow-point bullets and trespassing on school grounds, acting Union County Prosecutor Jennifer Davenport said in a release Friday.

Around 3:55 p.m., Westfield police officers and detectives responded to Tamaques Elementary School on Willow Grove Road after receiving a report from the New Castle County Police Department in Delaware that a man, later identified as Wilkie, was en route to the school and may be armed, according to the release.

In a statement posted on the Westfield Police Department's Facebook page, Chief Christopher Battiloro said police responded to a call from the Delaware State Police seeking an individual they believed may be on the premises of Tamaques School.

As a precaution, the school, where after-school activities were being held, was placed on lockdown, so police also would be able to identify any other potential threats, the release stated.

Wilkie was located in the front seat of his 2019 Mitsubishi SUV parked in the school’s parking lot, holding a .45-caliber handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets. Two additional loaded clips of ammunition were recovered from Wilkie’s person, while 130 additional rounds of ammunition were located in the vehicle’s trunk, the release stated.

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The motive remains under investigation.

NBC 4 New York reported Wilkie entered the school unarmed looking for a woman he had been in a relationship but went back to his car after learning she wasn't there. He then called the woman who indicated she would be returning to the school. While waiting for her return in his car, he called his brother, who alerted Delaware State Police about the situation, according to the report.

The school district referred all inquires to the prosecutor's office.

In the Facebook post, Battiloro said a security sweep of the building and its perimeter was conducted prior to the lockdown being lifted at approximately 5:32 p.m. and children were released to their parents without incident.

Wilkie was lodged in Union County Jail in Elizabeth pending a first appearance and detention hearing scheduled for June 19.

On Friday, Wilkie's father declined to comment except to say that he had not heard anything from authorities about the arrest. Wilkie had been living with his parents in Bear.

If convicted Wilkie, could face 5 to 10 years in state prison.

Westfield police had officers at the school Friday morning as assurance that the school was safe, according to the Facebook post.

Contributing: Delaware News Journal reporter Jeanne Kuang

Suzanne Russell covers crime, courts and other forms of mayhem from throughout the Central Jersey area for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact her at srussell@gannettnj.com.