South Jersey Residents Get Creepy, Confusing Cell Phone Alert

Good news: the "extreme" immediate dispersal order in South Jersey was lifted earlier this evening.

Bad news: practically no one had any idea why they received that message as an emergency alert on their cell phones.

So what caused all of this cellular confusion?

From what we have been able to piece together, there was a large car show or car music show at Bridgeport Speedway in Swedesboro, Gloucester County, on Sunday that, apparently, quickly got out of hand.

Police were called to deal with what was described on social media as a very rowdy crowd and they issued an official order for the group to immediately disperse.

When that order was officially lifted a couple of hours later, cell phones from one side of South Jersey to the other received a loud, wireless emergency alert message that simply read:

Emergency alert: Extreme
** UPDATE IMMEDIATE DISPERSAL ORDER LIFTED **

Unfortunately, there was absolutely no context to what that message was in reference to and when people as far away as Atlantic City and Cape May County received it, they were left confused.

Even worse, many people living in Gloucester County, where the incident took place, were also left bewildered.

We expect more information about both the incident at the speedway and what triggered an alert being issued across such a wide area to be released on Monday. This story will be updated when that happens.

Chris Coleman is a South Jersey native and has been a cornerstone of the Atlantic City radio market since 1998. He serves as Brand Manager for WPG Talk Radio 95.5 and afternoon on-air personality for Cat Country 107.3. A five-time President's Circle award winner and Townsquare Media's 2024 Content Creator of the Year, Chris covers news, events, and stories of interest across Southern New Jersey. Story tips: chris.coleman@townsquaremedia.com