Online School Shooting Threats Spike Across NJ: What To Know
NEW JERSEY — School shooting threats plaguing New Jersey schools and law enforcement in recent weeks are believed to be linked to a larger social media trend nationwide.
Across the nation, school shooting 'hit lists' have been circulating on TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook, leading to police investigations, lockdowns and multiple arrests of students —including a 10-year-old in South Jersey, and several others around the state.
Over the past two weeks, authorities in Bergen, Camden, Gloucester, Monmouth, Passaic, Ocean, and Somerset counties have investigated threatening social media posts that were circulating around school communities. None of the threats have been deemed credible thus far.
However, the uptick in reported threats come on the heels of a high school shooting in Georgia on Sept. 4 that took four lives, raising fears of copycat shootings.
Last week, two South Jersey districts closed school and three teenage students were arrested after a post on TikTok threatened shootings at five different districts.
Police in Hackensack said a juvenile was arrested on Sept. 14 after threats were posted on social media against several school buildings. And, rumors of a threat at Hillsborough Middle School prompted an investigation by Township police last weekend and on Monday the 16th.
Authorities in Hazlet , Ringwood , and Manchester Township also have launched probes into threatening social media posts, though Manchester Police said the posts were not directed at the district and had just been shared locally, prompting a student to re-post it out of concern.
"We are experiencing a nationwide trend of vague, unsubstantiated school threats being shared on TikTok and Snapchat," police said, urging people to not re-share such posts when they see them.
In some of the cases, authorities are linking the threats to young students, leading to the arrests of elementary school-aged children. On Wednesday, Sept. 18, police identified a Gloucester County 10-year-old as the person behind a "disturbing" video involving a Franklin Township school that circulated on social media.
The child was "immediately" removed from school and brought to police headquarters for further investigation. They will be charged with causing a false public alarm, police said.
Young Students Arrested At Other Schools Around The Nation
In fact, pre-teen students have been arrested in connection with social media shooting threats across several states over the past two weeks. A sheriff in Florida's Volusia County released a mug shot and a 'perp walk' video of an 11-year-old charged with a felony for allegedly making a written threat of a mass shooting this week, NBC News reported.
Just days before, he warned parents he would start publicizing the arrests of students who make shooting threats.
"Since parents, you don't want to raise your kids, I'm gonna start raising them," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said at a news conference Friday. "Every time we make an arrest, your kids' photo is going to be put out there and if I can do it, I'm gonna perp walk your kid so that everybody can see what your kid's up to."
In San Diego's South Bay, authorities said a 12-year-old student was arrested for sending threatening text messages, including one that referenced committing a school shooting.
The threatening messages "caused fear on multiple school campuses and the absence of many concerned students," Chula Vista Sgt. Anthony Molina said in a news release.
Patch editor Paige Austin contributed to this report.
