September 4, 2021

ABERDEEN TOWNSHIP, NJ (MONMOUTH)–A nearly five-hour police standoff with an armed suspect in Aberdeen ended peacefully when the man was taken into custody this afternoon, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey and Aberdeen Township Police Chief Alan Geyer jointly announced Saturday.  

Criminal charges are pending against 45-year-old Wilbert Hickman.

Members of the Aberdeen Township Police Department responded to a home on the 50 block of Wilson Avenue shortly before 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning and found Hickman inside the home’s garage, armed with a machete, a sword, a nail gun, and other dangerous materials such as lighter fluid, according to the preliminary investigation.

The police response quickly led to the deployment of the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team (MOCERT) and the Monmouth County Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), and communication with Hickman was subsequently established and maintained.

Following lengthy negotiations, Hickman was taken into custody shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday, after which he was immediately taken to a local medical facility for evaluation and treatment.

No first responders sustained injury during the incident. The Prosecutor’s Office would like to thank all local and county emergency, fire, and police personnel who responded to the scene and helped bring the situation to a peaceful conclusion.

Despite the aforementioned pending charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.

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