Gloucester Twp. police crack down on teens shooting toy gel pellet guns at people, animals

Police in Gloucester Township, New Jersey, are cracking down on teens who they say are shooting toy gel pellet guns at people, animals and property.

Police said the toy guns are designed to fire gel projectiles, or small, colorful, water-absorbing beads.

“Hey, it’s a fun thing in the backyard if you have willing participants that are doing it,” Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said. “But what we are running into is they are going around and firing them at people who are not expecting it.”

Officials said social media challenges and trends could be contributing to the uptick in incidents involving the toy guns.

“There’s a challenge called ‘senior assassin’ which I think is a game that kids pick up on that makes the trend uptick,” Chief Harkins said.

Investigators said one incident occurred on Gloucester Township Day back on June 1, the town’s biggest event of the year at Veterans Park. During that incident, teens fired a toy gel pellet gun at animals at the park, police said.

During another incident on Tuesday, June 11, teens in a moving vehicle fired a toy gel pellet gun at people, according to investigators. Police said they identified five suspects in the shooting who recorded their actions and posted video on social media.

Finally, on Wednesday, June 12, at 3 p.m., Gloucester Township Police received a call reporting two young men and a young woman shooting a toy gel pellet gun at random people who were walking outside.

“Usually, it’s a car going by. They fire it from outside the window. And yes, it stings,’ Chief Harkins said.

Nashonna Christopher, a Gloucester Township resident, told NBC10 the toy guns have made her children afraid to go outside and play.

"The gel blasters have really turned into a bad thing," she said. "It's very frustrating."

She said her 9-year-old son was hit with one of the pellets while playing on the swings a few weeks ago.

"I was just standing there and they just aimed the gun at me and I got shot in the lip," the boy said.

Gloucester Township Police are urging parents and guardians to speak with their children about the dangers of using toy gel pellet guns.

“You can get it online and get it anywhere and they are fun for those who want to willingly participate,” Chief Harkins said. “But we have to watch our kids going out and misusing them. Firing them at people who are not willing participants.”

Police also warn that a person could mistake the toy guns for real weapons, endangering everyone involved.

“We are concerned of other people retaliating or protecting themselves not knowing what they got hit with,” Chief Harkins said.

Police also said they’re working to identify, arrest and charge anyone who uses the toy guns to “cause fear or panic” to residents in the town.

“We don’t want to make arrests,” Chief Harkins said. “We want kids to have a good time. We want them to use them under the right circumstances. But don’t use them under the circumstances where you are firing on people who aren’t willing participants.”