By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Sunday, October 27, 1991
The Record (New Jersey) | All Editions | NEWS | Page A03
A man, at first thought to have explosives, held Hawthorne and Passaic County sheriff’s officers at bay for several hours Saturday and caused the evacuation of his neighborhood before surrendering without incident, authorities said.
Steven E. Kuiken, 25, of 38 Pasadena Place was being treated for cuts to his hands sustained when he punched out windows in the house, police said.
He was then to be transferred to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Paterson for psychiatric evaluation, authorities said.
“His mood changed several times during the negotiations,” Hawthorne police Capt. David A. Noble said.
Police said he was drinking beer and tequila during the day.
Noble said that Kuiken had been charged on Sept. 3 with burglary and theft in a break-in Aug. 23 at a home on Emmaline Drive. He did not show up for the preliminary court hearing, Noble said. His bail was revoked and a warrant issued for his arrest.
“And what happened today was one of our officers that knows him by sight observed him in the area of his home. He fled on seeing the officer and was observed going into his home. The officer called for assistance,” Noble said.
About 3:30 p.m., two officers from the Sheriff’s Department warrant squad responded and police entered Kuiken’s home, where he was barricaded in a second-floor bedroom.
“He instructed the officers to leave, that he had explosive devices in the house,” Noble said. The officers backed away, “per policy,” he said.
What followed was about five hours of negotiations, conducted by the Sheriff’s Department negotiations team. The bomb squad also was at the scene.
Four houses on Pasadena Place were evacuated and other area roads were blocked off.
“He was finally convinced to give himself up, and did so without any struggle,” about 9:35 p.m., Noble said.
Kuiken had 20-pound propane tanks in the house and two electronic remote control devices, Noble said. He also had a part from an electronic toy taped to a tank, he said.
“It in fact resembled a bomb, and on several occasions we could see it. It certainly caused us to exercise caution,” Noble said. About 7:30 p.m., Kuiken threw an ignited tank onto the lawn, but it burned itself out, Noble said.
Caption: COLOR PHOTO – STEVE HOCKSTEIN / THE RECORD – Police removing items from the house in Hawthorne where Steven E. Kuiken barricaded himself on Saturday.
Notes: Late run
ID: 17359264 | Copyright © 1991, The Record (New Jersey)