Police Respond To Parry Aftab Hostage Call, Find Only Cat

NEWARK, N.J. — Authorities on Monday sought a man responsible for calling in a fake hostage report that targeted a well-known Internet security expert and encumbered about 30 police officers and SWAT team members for three hours over the weekend.

The caller claimed to be in a house in Wyckoff, a suburb about 15 miles west of New York City, belonging to Parry Aftab, a lawyer specializing in Internet privacy and security and a frequent media commentator.

The man said he was armed and had two hostages. Police and SWAT team members surrounded the home for about three hours Saturday and eventually shot tear gas canisters inside, but found only Aftab's cat inside.

Wyckoff police Chief Benjamin Fox said the call received at the police department was from a non-valid number, leading investigators to believe it was made using a computer that could generate the number. Fox said state and federal agencies including the FBI had offered assistance in tracing the call.

Aftab said Monday that some leads were being probed but declined to be specific, citing the ongoing investigation. She apologized to neighbors for the disruption and said she was working with investigators and Internet security experts to find the source of the call.

"There are a lot of people who hide behind a computer monitor and think it's going to get them attention, but this is going to get them the wrong kind of attention," she said. "This is not a harmless prank."

Fox said the perpetrator could be charged with filing a false police report and could face other charges that could lead to jail time.

"While we're all out at this scene, God forbid there's a second, real scene somewhere else," he said. "You're taking the law enforcement resources from something that could be more serious at another location."

Aftab disputed earlier reports that the call came from a stolen, or cloned, cellphone number, but said it's not difficult to make a computer-generated call that displays a bogus number.

"Any 8-year-old I know could have done this, and it does hide the identity of whoever's sending it if it's done the right way," she said.

Comments

[Donna Street]

01:45 AM on 08/30/2011

Sounds like a prank kids or teens would do, so somehow they may have access to her home. It didn't say whether she had kids or not. Then again, maybe the cat was bored,lol.

[bealebkk]

09:37 AM on 07/28/2011

Oops...!

[adnull29]

12:50 PM on 07/27/2011

The cat would only make the call if there was a dog in the house too. That's when they get really dvious ;-)

[Paul Sta]

06:05 PM on 07/26/2011

The cat should sue for false arrest and harassment.

[Smithn]

01:43 AM on 07/26/2011

Was it a grinning faterwhackkin' Cheshire Cat going under the name of Absolam?

[Hope Richardson]

09:04 PM on 07/25/2011

W-what about the kitty? Is s/he okay? I don't know what effect tear gas can have on a cat, but it can't be good...

[troyrobertdavid]

03:54 PM on 07/28/2011

Definately a she.

[NYC619]

07:44 PM on 07/25/2011

Humans! Do not be fooled-that cat is devious!

[Kristin Talbott]

06:09 PM on 07/25/2011

And what condition was the cat in after being exposed to all that tear gas?

Sort of seems like an obvious question to me, but then I don't know why I even expect news stories to answer the obvious questions anymore...

[duvster]

06:02 PM on 07/25/2011

The mouse did it. (I've been watching too many Tom&Jerry cartoons with my grandchildren).

[NunyerBeezwax]

05:13 PM on 07/25/2011

this was all just a clever ploy by the cat to get featured as a mews story..

:3

[karen lyons kalmenson]

05:08 PM on 07/25/2011

maybe ms aftab forgot to clean the cat box...

[Demlad]

02:55 PM on 07/25/2011

If only Aftab's one piece of bad jewelry she ALWAYS wears where destroyed in the raid. She has certainly made quite a nice living for herself drumming up the fears of parents for their children on the net.

[only1nik]

02:34 PM on 07/25/2011

i'm sorry but my comment has nothing to do with the story. the stock photo of that cat is so stinking cute. i wanna cuddle

[saysaycollins]

03:42 PM on 07/25/2011

me tooooooooo! poor kitty, I hope they didn't disturb his nap:)

[bonnieb333]

05:49 AM on 07/26/2011

The cat probably isn't a "he." Genetically speaking, practically all calico cats are a she. If a male calico is born, which is very rare, it is sterile.

[kuvasz]

02:29 PM on 07/25/2011

Obviously, the act of a purrorist.

[enigma2]

02:37 PM on 07/25/2011

Good one.

[cybexg]

02:27 PM on 07/25/2011

"Police shot tear gas canisters into the home but found only Aftab's cat inside. Aftab was not home..."

was the cat harmed? I believe tear gas is far more harmful to felines than to humans