The Ellenville Police Department announced the arrest of a Pine Bush man for allegedly making terrorist threats to M&T Bank employees.

According to a police press release, on Tuesday, November 22, at about 10:45 a.m., the Ellenville police were called to M&T Bank on Route 209 in Ellenville for an “irate customer.” The customer had reportedly told bank employees that he was coming back to “shoot the bank up, and if they sent law enforcement to his house, he would shoot it out with police.” The bank was then placed on lockdown as police secured the scene.

The customer was identified as Guy Matthew Lorenz, 54, of Pine Bush. The Ellenville PD press release also noted that, because of Lorenz’s profession, he had also previously obtained permits for explosives. The bank was then temporarily closed “out of an abundance of caution.” The bank was reopened after placing Lorenz in custody.

Lorenz was charged with one count of making a terroristic threat, a felony. He was arraigned by Wawarsing Town Judge Charles Dechon and released without bail.

Ellenville Police Chief Phil Mattracion said, “In the world and climate that we live in today, where mass shootings are becoming the rule rather than the exception, law enforcement cannot ignore any instance where these types of threats are made, whether or not they are said out of frustration during the heat of the moment. There is no way to know for certain if the threat is real until it is completely vetted out. In the instant case, these innocent employees were obviously distraught by the suspect’s actions in this case. There were a lot of resources brought to bear on this case out of an abundance of caution, and make no mistake about it, we will continue without hesitation to bring these resources to bear in every single instance that a threat is received of this nature, to ensure that the innocent lives of civilians and law enforcement are never jeopardized. We will hold those responsible for these acts accountable to the extent that the law permits.

Ellenville police were assisted by the Ulster County Sheriff Department Detective, Uniform and K9 divisions.