The following information was provided by the Medford Township Police Department.
On Aug. 1 at 3:41 a.m., Medford Township Police were called to the area of Hawkins Road for the report of an attempted assault. An 18-year-old male from Deptford told police that he was on Hawkins Road delivering newspapers and was chased by a masked man wielding a machete. New Jersey State Police Troopers from the Red Lion Barracks responded to assist Medford Police with a search of the area. The search did not reveal any evidence that this incident occurred.
Detectives later interviewed the man and he admitted to fabricating the story for the excitement. He was charged with false public alarm, abuse of the 9–1–1 system and false reports to police. He was released pending a Burlington County Superior Court hearing.
