EHT man whose standoff sparked school evacuation is released from jail

An Egg Harbor Township man who sparked the evacuation of a neighboring school was released from jail Friday.

Long Pham, 37, is accused of refusing to surrender when State Police came to arrest him last week on charges he made several threats to the Atlantic City International Airport via social media.

The Atlantic City International Airport received a call alerting them to X — formerly known as Twitter — where there were posts that included “Gonna bomb the Atlantic City airport” and “Tip: the Atlantic City Airport will be bombed,” Assistant Prosecutor Despina Hess told the judge.

When the investigation led to Pham, State Police came to home on Atlas Lane at about 10 a.m. Jan. 22.

"He refused to exit the residence," Hess said, alleging Pham was seated at a table.

He turned up the music in an apparent attempt to drown out law enforcement, and was deem "a barricaded suspect," Hess said.

The Joy Miller School was put on shelter in place, which then turned to an evacuation to the High School, BreakingAC previously reported.

Various State Police units, including T.E.A.M.S., K-9, Bomb, Target Hardening, Crisis Negotiation and the Troop "A" Criminal Investigation Office, responded to the scene.

Pham voluntarily exited his residence after a lengthy negotiation and was placed under arrest.

Defense attorney Andrew Butchko noted his client has no criminal history, garnering the lowest possible scores on the public safety assessment that evaluates risk under bail reform. 

Pham is a graduate of Egg Harbor Township High School and lives with his father, a veteran of the Vietnamese Air Force who fought on the side of the United States during the war, Butchko said.

The family came to America when Pham was 3 years old, and all are now citizens, he added.

It was also noted that Pham made no direct contact with the airport.

The public safety assessment recommended he be released on his own recognizance, but the judge raised the level of oversight.

Pham must report to pretrial services weekly, alternating between in-person and via phone.

"Charges of this nature strike fear in the public at large and place the community at large — including a large number of people, including law enforcement and safety personnel at risk," Judge Jorge Coombs said. "There is a risk should this certain behavior be allowed to continue."

But without a criminal history or any other issues, Coombs said the state did not prove that conditions could not be put in place to allow Pham's release.

He is not allowed to have contact with the Atlantic City International Airport or South Jersey Gas, which he also named in posts. Pham also is barred from making social media posts.