PARKLAND, Fla. – A New Jersey man was extradited to Broward County last week after he was arrested in his hometown of Maywood, New Jersey, in connection with two Parkland swatting calls, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
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According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, in August 2024, deputies responded to two homes in Parkland after they received reports of shootings.
Deputies said in one incident, the caller claimed that a victim had been shot in the chest and was being held hostage.
In another incident, the caller said he had shot his sister, authorities said.
But authorities said after arriving at both scenes, deputies quickly realized that the calls had been hoaxes and no one had been injured.
“Despite the caller’s effort to conceal himself through various applications, phone numbers and technology, BSO’s TMU investigators and Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) detectives were able to identify the subject who made the false report as Justin Flavien of Maywood, New Jersey,” a BSO news release stated.
BSO detectives then coordinated with the Maywood Police Department to obtain a search warrant for the 22-year-old’s home, authorities said.
Deputies said multiple electronic devices were found inside the home, “and it was discovered that Flavien may have committed similar hoaxes throughout the country.”
A BSO spokesperson confirmed that Flavien was arrested in his hometown on Jan. 21 before being extradited to Broward County on Friday.
He faces two counts of making a false report concerning a bomb, explosive or weapon of mass destruction and two counts of use of a two-way communication device to facilitate or further the commission of a felony offense.
As of Tuesday, Flavien was no longer appearing in the online jail database.