Police: Freeport hostage report a 'hoax'

Nassau County police detectives are looking for the person who called police posing as a Freeport man and falsely claimed to be holding his wife and child hostage, police said.

The incident, which sparked a large police response Friday night to a Freeport apartment, was determined to be a hoax when the man who lives in the apartment invited police into his home without incident, police said.

About 9:20 p.m. Friday, the Freeport police department received a call from a man who said that he was holding his wife and child hostage in their apartment in the 100 block of Brooklyn Avenue.

Freeport officers and Nassau County First Precinct officers responded and secured the area around the apartment building. The Nassau County Emergency Services Unit, Bureau of Special Operations and Hostage Negotiators were also called to the scene.

The 36-year-old resident of the apartment said he had not called police, and opened the door and allowed officers inside to check the apartment, police said.

Nassau County police called the report a "hoax" on Saturday morning, saying they are looking for the person who made the initial call and that person could face a charge of making false reports to law enforcement officials.

Police ask anyone with information about the report to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 800-244-TIPS. Callers remain anonymous.

About 50 police officers responded to Ambassador apartments armed with rifles and carried body armor on Friday night. The incident was over about 11:30 p.m.

Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the Long Island Rail Road, said police requested that a train between Freeport and Baldwin be stopped.

He said five trains were impacted by the delays from the stoppage that began about midnight. Donovan said Nassau police allowed train traffic to resume about 12:30 a.m.