9/18/2006     7:37 AM

At 7:37 AM, on 9/18/06, police responded to the Transmed Ambulance Service, on Milltown Rd., when an ambulance driver reported that he was assaulted and his life threatened as two men attempted to carjack his ambulance. Matthew S. Gasero, age 23, of East Brunswick, told police that two men pulled in front of his ambulance as he was exiting in front of the Transmed building. Mr. Gasero reported that one of the suspects, the passenger, pushed him against the ambulance and threatened him with a knife demanding the keys to the ambulance. The driver remained in the vehicle. Gasero stated that he struggled with the assailant and attempted to defend himself with an expandable baton. He reported pain to his back and head from being thrown against the ambulance. He reported that he was able to strike the assailant with the baton, who then got into a white Honda and fled the area. When detectives arrived on the scene and began interviewing Mr. Gasero, they quickly determined that the physical evidence did not match the story being presented by the victim. Complaining of back and head pain, Mr. Gasero was transported to an area hospital and was released a short time later. Detectives canvassed the area and interviewed potential witnesses, as well as examining the scene for evidence of the struggle reported by Gasero. After he was released from the hospital, Mr. Gasero responded to police headquarters for an interview. During the interview, Detective Ed Conlon determined that Gasero had fabricated the incident. Gasero explained to the detective that he was trying to force Transmed to improve the exterior security of their building. The Police Department has no indications that Transmed’s security is substandard. Mr. Gasero was charged with filing a false report and making a false public alarm. He was released with a court date.