Tense standoff between police and barricaded man ends peacefully after 24 hours

An Irvington man who barricaded himself inside an Irvington home Wednesday afternoon was arrested nearly 24 hours later following a tense standoff with police, investigators said.

Irvington police officers were called to the home in the 300 block of Nesbit Terrace around 4 p.m. for a report of a man with a gun, authorities said. There they found Karim M. Brunson, 34, of Irvington, who then entered the home and barricaded himself inside, according to a statement from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Police and the Essex County Sheriff’s Office secured the area and deployed trained negotiators from their tactical response team, who began talking to Brunson, authorities said. Residents in the area were also evacuated and temporarily relocated as talks continued overnight and into Thursday.

The Newark Police Department’s emergency response team responded to the scene Thursday to assist. The incident ended peacefully at 2:10 p.m. Thursday, when Brunson was taken into custody, the office said.

Investigators did not release any other information late Thursday night.

Brunson, who is in custody, faces harassment and weapons charges and will be held at the Essex County Correctional Center pending an appearance in Essex County Central Judicial Processing Court, authorities said.

Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, praised the work done by all law enforcement officers and health care professionals at Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark and the concerned members of the suspect’s family who assisted at the scene.

“Communication and cooperation between all responding agencies allowed this incident to conclude without injury to the public, law enforcement and the suspect,” Stephens said.