FRANKLIN BOROUGH, NJ — A West Milford man faces charges after police say he sent threatening messages to himself and falsely reported them to authorities.
Nathan W. Slingland, 22, of West Milford, was charged on the afternoon of Sept. 22 with two counts of false reports to law enforcement incriminating another.
On June 11 and June 22, Officer Dylan Testa took two separate reports from Slingland alleging that he was receiving threatening and harassing communications via cell phone from two individuals known to him.
Slingland initially reported being in fear for his safety due to the alleged terroristic threats he had received.
Following the initial response and review of the reported messages, officers noted immediate concerns regarding their nature and origin.
The Franklin Borough Detective Bureau assisted in the investigation to verify the source of the communications.
Over the course of several weeks, it was determined that the phone numbers from which Slingland claimed to have received threats were associated with third-party texting applications.
Further investigation confirmed that the email accounts and recovery phone numbers linked to those applications were registered under Slingland’s name and control.
Evidence revealed that Slingland had sent the threatening messages to himself and then falsely reported them to law enforcement in an attempt to incriminate others.
Slingland was issued a complaint summons and was released pending his appearance in Sussex County Superior Court in accordance with the New Jersey Bail Reform Act.
