Another wave of bomb threats was called into Jewish community centers, including two New Jersey locations.
WEST ORANGE -- Another round of bomb threats was called in Tuesday to more than a dozen Jewish community centers, including two New Jersey locations.
This is the third round of bomb hoaxes that caused 14 community centers, across 10 states and one Canadian province, to lock down and evacuate its members as police swept for explosives.
"We are concerned about the anti-Semitism behind these threats," David Posner, a spokesman for the JCC Association of North America, said in a statement. "All threats from the previous two dates have been determined to be hoaxes. The FBI is actively investigating the source or sources of these calls. We are relieved that no one has been harmed and that JCCs continue to operate in a way that puts the safety of their staff, visitors, and premises first."
West Orange police were on scene Tuesday afternoon investigating the threat at JCC MetroWest on Northfield Avenue, authorities said.
Authorities were also called to Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, according to Posner. This is the second bomb hoax called into the Tenafly center.
West Orange spokeswoman Susan Anderson said the threat came in just before 11 a.m., and the building was evacuated. The county sheriff's office and NJ Transit police responded. By 1 p.m., investigators gave the "all clear," and people reentered the building.
Marcy Burach, the membership and marketing director at the MetroWest JCC, said her team has been working with local law enforcement agencies and the building's security team, in light of the previous robo threats made against other institutions.
"We were very prepared," she said, noting that everyone evacuated the building quickly. "We got the call and we take them very seriously."
An email was sent at about noon to the center's members saying everyone was safe and asked members to stay away as police investigated, NBC reported.
West Orange police said the unknown caller was described as a female in her 40s or 50s, possibly with an accent.
The woman called the center saying, "There is a bomb in the building." When asked where she said, "I'm not going to tell you that," and hung up.
Less than two weeks ago, 27 Jewish Community Centers, across 17 states, received similar unfounded threats. Two centers were located in Edison and Scotch Plains.
Jan. 9 marked the first wave of calls targeting more than a dozen Jewish facilities, including Kaplen Jewish Community Center in Tenafly.
No explosives have been found in any of the incidents.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department said after the second round of robocalls said it was investigating the hoaxes at hate crimes.
NJ Advance Media reporter Jess Mazzola contributed to this report.
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.