Gaithersburg, MD (JK) – A Florida teenager has been charged in connection with multiple swatting incidents that targeted a Germantown residence, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police.
Investigators with the department’s Threat Assessment and Behavioral Solutions Unit said officers first responded to a home on Severndale Terrace on Nov. 22, 2025, after receiving a report of a shooting involving an active shooter outside the residence. When officers arrived, the homeowner told police she had no knowledge of any shooting, and investigators found no evidence that an incident had occurred.
Police said a second swatting call came in on Jan. 23, 2026. The Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center received a report claiming there was an active shooter and hostages inside the same home. Authorities said the family also reported receiving repeated unwanted food deliveries during the incidents.
Detectives traced the calls to a phone number and IP address in Orlando, Florida, eventually identifying a 17-year-old male suspect.
The teen was charged April 28 with two counts of knowingly making false reports of crimes or emergencies to authorities with reckless disregard for causing bodily harm, along with two counts of making a false statement to a law enforcement officer.
Officials said the case has been referred to the Department of Juvenile Services for disposition.
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