Emergency Alert Sent Via Text and Email a Test, According to Verizon

The New Jersey State Police alerted local police departments that a text message informing residents to take immediate shelter until the relatively random time of 1:24 p.m. went out to some mobile subscribers at around noon.

Police have confirmed that there is no emergency.

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said 9-1-1 calls more than tripled in volume for a typical weekday lunch hour following the emergency message.

“We received 172 calls within a half-hour of the text message going out,” Golden said.

The Monmouth County Sheriff's Office subsequently received confirmation from Verizon that the message was inadvertently sent out and alerted other agencies, Golden said.

According to a statement released by Verizon, the message was sent to customers in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties.

"This test message was not clearly identified as a test. We apologize for any inconvenience or concern this message may have caused," the statement said.

Verizon Wireless was testing their internal communication system, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management said in a Facebook post.

The said they have not received many emergency calls regarding the alert from residents. However, the police department uses Verizon and multiple members did receive the emergency alert via text message and email, Lt. Ben Smith said. Members of the police department were notified that the alert was false before they received the text messages and emails.