Police: Student, 10, arrested for making school shooting threat that closed 3 Gloucester County school districts
The threats were emailed to teachers and principals in the Franklin Township School District.
A 10-year-old student was arrested Thursday and charged with sending out a series of school shooting threats that prompted three districts in Gloucester County to close for the day.
The threats were emailed to teachers and principals in the Franklin Township School District and continued even after the police had announced that an investigation was underway to find the sender, Franklin Township Police Lt. Matt Decesari said.
After getting subpoenas for information from the internet provider and the email provider, police tracked the email to a Franklin Township home, where a 10-year-old boy admitted sending the threats, authorities said.
The student, whose name will not be released because of his age, was charged with making terroristic threats and causing false alarm.
Decesari said the student also would receive psychological counseling.
Police first learned of the threat about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, when a teacher at Caroline L. Reutter School reported receiving an email threatening a shooting at the school later that day. Another threat was made about a shooting at Main Road School on Friday.
Elementary schools in Franklin and Elk Townships closed for the day, as did their shared middle and high schools, which are operated by the Delsea Regional School District.
The shutdown affected about 4,700 students.
Schools will reopen as usual Friday, officials said, emphasizing in a statement that "there is NO legitimate threat to the safety of our schools."
On Monday, Franklin Township police arrested two students at Delsea Regional High School after they were overheard "making comments regarding school violence."
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The students told detectives the comments were made in jest, but they were charged with making terroristic threats and causing false alarm. The students were also removed from the school, police said.
They were not identified because they are juveniles.