Two Charged After Facebook Live Threats Prompt Broome Lockdowns
Police have arrested two Broome County men in connection with threats livestreamed while they drove around the Binghamton area.
Authorities on Monday morning were advised that a Johnson City man was appearing on his Facebook page while operating a vehicle as he was armed with a handgun and wearing ballistic body armor.
Because of threats made during the Facebook Live feed, the Broome County Sheriff's Office notified the man's relatives. Schools and hospitals associated with the man's family members were locked down.
Investigators determined the man - 42-year-old Nicholas Skiba of North Arch Street - could not legally possess firearms in New York state.
The sheriff's office obtained search warrants for Skiba's phone, as well as Facebook location data and records. Skiba's vehicle was found around 12:40 p.m. parked in front of a home on Route 12 in Chenango Forks.
Investigators called Skiba to advise him to leave the residence. He and another man exited the house and were taken into custody without incident around 1:25 p.m.
Investigators found several guns inside the residence at 2553 Route 12, including the weapon seen in the Facebook Live presentation. They also seized five handguns, four rifles, three shotguns and two black powder pistols. Several large capacity magazines were confiscated.
Skiba and the other man - 28-year-old Keith Hall Sr. - each have been charged with five felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Investigators said Hall was a passenger in the vehicle while Skiba was driving and making threats.
The sheriff's office sought and received Extreme Risk Protection Orders under the state's "Red Flag Law." The orders were served on Skiba and Hall at Broome County Jail.
Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.