A film prop was all it took to lead to charges on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014, against a local filmmaker and community activist when police arrived at the location where they were filming.
A group of four people were filming a short movie about a man trying to regain custody of his daughter. One of the props on set was a realistic-looking toy gun.
Highland Park police declined comment Sunday afternoon, until Police Capt. Scott Golden returns Monday.
“He’s the only person who can give you any comment,” a woman answering the phone at police headquarters said.
Reportedly, the entire incident unfolded before noon Sunday. A cast and crew were gathered in the parking lot of the Montgomery Street Apartments and had just started filming. About 20 minutes later, police arrived, reportedly ordered everyone to the ground, and ultimately filed the undisclosed charges.
Some New Jersey communities are considering a ban on realistic toy guns. Federal law mandates that all toy guns be sold with an orange tip, a safety precaution intended to signify that the item is a toy. Chicago goes further with its mandates. It is a crime to wield a look-alike/replica gun in public. Also in Chicago if a toy gun or replica gun is used to commit a crime, the wielder of the toy gun weapon is treated as though he/she had used a real firearm.
Look for updates on this story when HPP receives the police report.
They didn’t see the cameras?
A lot of detail is yet to emerge. We will update this as soon as new information becomes available.
Thanks for getting this news out the public so quickly, HPP. Your publication is off to a great start. Looking forward to getting updates on this specific situation.
Let’s see more local news like this.
If the filming people had registered with the police that they would have been filming with a toy gun that looked real would there have been any issues?
That’s a good question; the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office declined to answer that question, saying it would constitute legal advice.