Security Concern Prompts Shabbos Morning Evacuation at BMG’s Yoshon Beis Medrash

A security scare on Shabbos morning interrupted davening at Beis Medrash Govoha, leading Lakewood police to evacuate the Yoshon and adjacent halls out of an abundance of caution.

The incident occurred at approximately 10:00 a.m. while the building on 7th Street was filled with mispallelim for Shabbos morning tefillos. Officers arrived on the scene and ordered a full, immediate evacuation of both the Yoshon building and the adjoining Mizrach hall.

A source familiar with the incident told Belaaz the police response was triggered by a suspicious individual in the area who had made comments that were perceived as a threat.

The sudden evacuation caused a significant disruption to the morning tefillos. In the Yoshon building, the order to vacate came precisely during the silent Musaf Shemoneh Esrei. Those present were forced to relocate to the Beis Yitzchok building across the street to finish Musaf. In the Mizrach hall, where Musaf had not yet begun, the minyan dispersed to various nearby study halls to conclude their davening.

The building remained closed to the public while authorities conducted a thorough search of the premises. After police completed their sweep and definitively established that there was no immediate danger, the building was cleared for reentry and returned to normal operations.