BY IAN CROUCH
A dramatic siege at a Jesmond shopping centre has ended with the arrest a man.
Police say just before 10.00pm last night (Tuesday 5 August, 2025), staff at the Woolworths in Jesmond Central on Blue Gum Road alerted police and evacuated the store when a man told them he was carrying a bomb in a bag and threatening to set it off.
Dozens of police, ambulances and fire crews were dispatched to scene including specialist negotiators and officers from the Tactical Operations Unit from Sydney.
The 36-year-old Newcastle man eventually surrendered to police at about 4.30am on Wednesday.
He was taken to Waratah Police Station and is expected to face Newcastle Local Court today.
Police say the bag he was carrying contained remote controls and no bomb was found after a thorough sweep of the store.
