Woodbridge Police Held Active Shooter Drill At Mall

If you were near Woodbridge Center on Sunday night and saw dozens of police officers, it was just a drill.

On Sunday, Woodbridge police worked with Woodbridge Center staff to hold an active shooter drill after the shopping center closed, said Police Director Robert Hubner.

Some 200 people were involved in the drill, including Special Operations and SWAT teams from Woodbridge, Piscataway, East Brunswick and Perth Amboy police departments and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Crisis negotiation teams from Woodbridge, Piscataway and Edison, along with mall staff and Woodbridge firefighters, EMS, CERT, and auxiliary officers also participated.

Volunteers agreed to play the role of shoppers who were in a robbery gone bad, and current and retired officers used guns that fire projectiles to mark their target, police said.

“The drill allowed for officers from throughout Middlesex County to respond, coordinate and remain ready to successfully deal with an array of critical incidents, including an active shooter,” Hubner said in a prepared statement.