Manchester Police Disarm Knife-Wielding Woman In Middle Of Road

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Manchester Township woman was disarmed and arrested Monday after police found her brandishing a knife in the middle of a street, Manchester police said Tuesday.

Margaret Dennis, 74, of the Whiting section, was stabbing the hood of an occupied vehicle when police arrived in the Cedar Glen Lakes section about 12:45 p.m., Lt. Vincent Manco said.

Patrolman Anthony Iliadis found Dennis walking down the middle of Arizona Drive holding a large kitchen knife, Manco said. Iliadis asked Dennis several times to drop the knife but she refused. So while Dennis was speaking with Iliadis and distracted, Patrolman Arthur Cronk snuck up on her from behind and was able to grab her hand and take the knife away without hurting himself or Dennis, Manco said.

Police learned Dennis had stabbed a random passerby’s vehicle and was in the process of walking to a local family member’s residence to start a fight when they were called, Manco said.

The police department shared video of the incident on Facebook, with Police Chief Lisa Parker praising the officers for using tactics taught in de-escalation training to subdue Dennis. (See the video below.)

Dennis was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and criminal mischief, he said. She was taken to Community Medical Center for treatment and evaluation, Manco said.

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