Man calls Republican committee office and threatens to ‘shoot the place up,’ PA cops say
A man is accused of making violent threats toward a Republican committee office in Pennsylvania, authorities say.
Edward Cieri Jr., 39, called the Montgomery County Republican Committee office on Oct. 26 and referred to a staff member as a homophobic slur, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele.
When the staffer mocked the caller, the staffer was then met with threats, the district attorney said.
“The caller then threatened to shoot the staffer and told him that he would ‘shoot the place up’ or ‘blow it up,’” Steele said.
The call was traced to Cieri, who authorities said placed the call from his mother’s phone, according to WCAU.
Cieri, of Philadelphia, made the phone call “because he was angry over politics,” The Daily Voice reported, citing police.
Cieri was arrested and charged with threatening to place weapons of mass destruction, harassment and two counts of terroristic threats, according to the district attorney. He was jailed on a $35,000 bond.
The office closed Oct. 26 because of the threat, The Times Herald reported.
“I’m disappointed that our politics have come to this. People ought to be able to work for their candidates without threat of violence,” committee chairman Christian Nascimento told The Times Herald.
Cieri is due in court Nov. 14 and has been ordered to stay away from all Republican committee offices, Steele said.
“This defendant crossed the line into criminal behavior when he threatened to physically harm a political staffer and threatened violence against a political office,” according to the district attorney. “That criminal behavior will not be tolerated in Montgomery County.”
The Montgomery County Republican Committee office is in Whitpain Township, about a 25-mile drive northwest from Philadelphia.
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Man calls Republican committee office and threatens to ‘shoot the place up,’ PA cops say."