Police safely resolve incident at USPS NJ Priority Mail Processing Center in Kearny
On May 14, 2019, at approximately 10:23 a.m., Kearny Police patrol officers responded to the U.S. Postal Service New Jersey Priority Mail Processing Center at 1200 Harrison Avenue, Kearny. Police dispatch had received a report from a postal employee that a man asleep inside a car parked in the center’s parking lot had a pistol on his lap.
Patrol officers located the vehicle and confirmed that a man was asleep in the car with his hand on what appeared to be a handgun. The man was later identified as Xsayvire Smalls, 29, of Newark, a Postal Service employee.
Officers established a safe perimeter around the area and dispatched both the Kearny Police Emergency Service Unit and the Hudson County Regional SWAT Team to the scene. The Regional SWAT Team is comprised of tactically-trained officers employed by police departments around Hudson County, including officers from the Kearny Police Department.
SWAT crisis negotiators attempted to start a verbal dialogue with Smalls, but he did not respond. Thereafter SWAT officers approached the car and removed Smalls without injury. No shots were fired in this incident; however a loud distraction device, commonly called a “flash-bang” was employed by the SWAT team. The sound of this device was captured on some amateur videos that were posted to the internet by citizens outside the incident perimeter.
Officers recovered the handgun from Smalls’ car and confirmed that it was a BB/pellet-type firearm.
Smalls’ arrest is currently being processed by the Kearny Police Department. The list of his charges is pending.
Aspects of this incident remain under active investigation; however at this time police have established no nexus to terrorism or an attack of any kind. Police authorities stress that there is no threat to the public.
The Kearny Police wish to thank the numerous agencies who participated in safely resolving this incident today. These include the member departments of the Hudson County Regional SWAT Team, and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Postal Police, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Harrison Police, New Jersey State Police, FBI, Kearny EMS and Jersey City Medical Center EMS.
Any contemplated charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. R.P.C.3.6(b)(6).
