Bomb threats target Jewish Community Centers, forces evacuation in N.J.

The incident appears to mirror a rising number of reports nationwide.

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CHERRY HILL -- The Katz Jewish Community Center on Springdale Road in Cherry Hill was evacuated this morning after receiving a threat, according to an update posted on the center's Facebook page.

The center received the threat via a phone call, they said on their Facebook around 11:40 a.m. Police were on scene at the time. 

The Camden County bomb squad responded to the center at 10:50 a.m., county spokesman Dan Keashen said. As of 11:50 a.m., crews were still sweeping the building. 

As many as 500 people may have been inside when it was evacuated, Keashen said. 

"At this time of day, that place is usually teeming with people," Keashen said. "The center has a daycare, gym and rehab center."

Jewish Community Centers across the country were being evacuated after bomb threats were made, according to other reports. They included another JCC in Delaware, as well as ones in Michigan, Miami, Indiana, Staten Island, and Pennsylvania. In some cases, the centers reported receiving a phone call in which a woman's voice that was electronically altered said a bomb would go off in the building anywhere between 10 minutes to three hours from then. 

In Cherry Hill, police cruisers blocked both entrances to the community center. Around the main entrance, a small group of staff and law enforcement officials gathered and police dogs could be heard barking.

Parents who arrived were sent to Temple Emanuel Synagogue across the street to wait for news. Staff declined to comment to a reporter but told concerned parents that the children had been evacuated to a nearby building to wait for the all-clear.

These incidents appear to mirror a rising number of incidents around the country that many regard as incidents of intolerance and hate. More than 100 cemetery markers were also reported damaged in Philadelphia over the weekend. 

-- Rebecca Everett contributed to this story.