Bridge standoff couple charged, under evaluation

A South Jersey couple who held police at bay for three-and-a-half hours on the Walt Whitman Bridge yesterday are undergoing psychiatric examinations this morning after being charged on multiple criminal counts, authorities said.

Johnny L. Reed IV, 35, and Monica Hayman, 31, the mother of Reed's one-year-old son, surrendered to New Jersey State Troopers shortly before 8 p.m. after both signed a "contract" with negotiators that guaranteed the safety of the boy, said police.

The crisis shut down traffic on the Walt Whitman at the peak of rush hour and caused nightmares for evening commuters, hundreds of whom were stranded on the span.

State police had pursued Reed earlier in the day on Route 42 for speeding violations but cut off the chase just before the bridge when Reed's driving became dangerously erratic, said Sgt. Stephen Jones, a state police spokesman.

Reed then drove his Cadillac Escalade to the apex of the 12,000-foot bridge where stopped in the middle of traffic. He got out of the SUV and walked against the flow of traffic. With his son under one arm, he swung a wooden baseball bat at several vehicles who tried to avoid hitting him, Jones said.

A SWAT team recovered the bat and "a very realistic" airsoft pellet gun from Reed's white Cadillac Escalade following the standoff.

"It looked like a Sig Sauer," Jones said. "Just like the ones we carry."

Reed and Hayman, both of Sicklerville, were taken to the state police station in Bellmawr where Reed was charged with unlawful criminal restraint, aggravated assault, and terroristic threats for threatening to blow up the bridge.

Reed is being held this morning on $75,000 bail while under observation at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden.

Hayman is being held on $65,000 while under observation at the same hospital. She is charged with obstruction of justice, resisting arrest, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and conspiracy to criminal restraint.

The child, Johnny L. Reed V, was placed with his maternal grandmother. He was not injured during the fracas on the bridge. A small rottweiller that police found in the SUV was handed over to a local branch of the SPCA.

The crisis on the Walt Whitman shut down traffic at the peak of rush hour, causing nightmares for evening commuters.

Reed called the Inquirer's South Jersey bureau on Tuesday complaining that his family was being threatened. He claimed he had contacted several law enforcement agencies but none would assist him.

"He seemed like a nice guy actually," said an editor who took the call.

Though he didn't clearly articulate what the threats were, he said his phone and email had been "compromised."

State police confirmed that Reed appeared at the Bellmawr station on Easter Sunday and expressed concern for the safety of his son.

In custody at the Bellmawr station early this morning, Reed complained non-stop of being persecuted and being tracked by various government entities, Jones said.

State police first spotted the Escalade yesterday speeding north on Route 42.

"As soon as we tried to stop him, he got very erratic, Jones said. "We followed him for 8 miles."

A trooper ran the Cadillac's license plate and found the SUV was not reported stolen or the subject of a search.

"We decided to terminate the chase because it was more dangerous to pursue him," Jones said.

Reed stopped of his own accord at the peak of the bridge. Jones said there was not a roadblock.

Kristen A. Graham and Troy Graham contributed to this report.