On August 9, 2024, at 8:51am 2 District (Niagara Falls / Niagara-on-the-Lake) uniform officers from the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) responded to a hotel in Niagara Falls (Chippawa).
Officers arrived on scene on Portage Road between Chippawa Parkway and Front Street. The initial information was that a man from one of the hotel rooms had allegedly entered a neighbouring room and claimed to have set up an explosive device. Occupants from the nearby rooms evacuated out of an abundance of caution.
Officers closed Portage Road to traffic. Emergency service personnel from Niagara Emergency Medical Services and the Niagara Falls Fire Service were staged in the area.
The hotel room where the man had been staying was secured. Officers from the NRPS Explosive Disposal Unit were called in to clear the hotel room where the man had been staying.
Officers located the man walking on Portage Road approximately a kilometer away from the hotel and he was arrested.
At 12:47pm the room was deemed clear and safe. No explosive devices were found. Roads in the area were reopened and evacuated persons were allowed back into their rooms.
Paul Anthony Paparoni (57 yrs.) of Niagara Falls has been arrested and charged with the Criminal Code offence of:
Mischief – Sec. CC 430(1)(C)
Paparoni was held in custody for a video bail hearing to the Robert S. K. Welch Courthouse in St. Catharines on August 10, 2024.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the investigating officers by calling 905-688-4111, option 3, extension 1022200.
Members of the public who wish to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to persons who contact the program with information which leads to an arrest.
Click Here for Crime Stoppers Online
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