A 56-year-old man from Brick Township has been charged after authorities say he falsely reported finding a suspicious device near the route of a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Keansburg, prompting a large-scale law enforcement response and the cancellation of the event.

Christopher J. Otis is charged with second-degree false public alarm, third-degree possession of a destructive device and third-degree providing false information to a police officer, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced.

Police responded around 10:45 a.m. on March 28 to the area of Beachway and Bayview avenues in Keansburg after Otis reported discovering a suspicious device near a walking path by the beach. Authorities said the device was located close to a staging area for participants in the borough’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Out of caution, officials secured the area and ultimately canceled the parade. Multiple K-9 units searched the surrounding area and parade route, but no additional devices were found.

Investigators later determined there were inconsistencies in Otis’ account of how the device was discovered, according to prosecutors. The investigation involved the prosecutor’s office’s Major Crimes Bureau, the Keansburg Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from several state and local agencies.

Authorities did not release additional details about the nature of the device.

Otis, who told officers he works as a fire safety and environmental compliance officer at Brookdale Community College, is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending court proceedings.

Prosecutors emphasized that the charges are accusations and that Otis is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.