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Three more people were arrested here in New Jersey – including a 12-year-old – over the past two days after several more threats were made at New Jersey Schools over the past two weeks.
Police departments in several New Jersey communities have been increasing their presence at area schools following a rash of potential threats in their local school districts over the last two weeks. The actions also followed the mass fatal shooting of 17 people at a Florida high school last week.
Vineland
A 12-year-old boy has been charged with making threats that he would "shoot up" Anthony Rossi Intermediate School in Vineland, according to the Vineland Police Department. He was processed and released pending further court action. He claimed he was making a joke, and police were unable to find a weapon.
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Nutley
Eighteen-year old Joseph Rafanello was arrested this past week and charged with creating a false public alarm for his part in posting an "alarming" video to Instagram that was interpreted as a threat, police said. Rafanello, a Nutley High School student, was arrested and taken to the Essex County Jail.
At this point our investigation has not uncovered any further active security threats to any of our public schools and we will continue to work with the school district to ensure the safety of our schools," police said. "We will be increasing patrols around all our schools when school begins on Monday. This is just a proactive measure and not related to any further threats."
Nutley schools were closed on Feb. 16 after the video threat was made. Nutley Superintendent Julie Glazer said the district administration became aware of a security threat on Thursday, Feb. 15 and police were actively investigating.
As it gets later in the evening, we have decided to err on the side of safety and close schools tomorrow, Feb. 16, 2018," she wrote in a Facebook post.
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West Deptford
A 15-year-old has been arrested for posting a message online that included threats to "shoot up West Deptford High School," according to the police department. However, police have determined that there is no threat to the school's students.
The West Deptford High School administration alerted police as to the threat at about 10 a.m. Monday morning, according to the West Deptford Police Department. The message was posted on Snapchat, and police quickly began an investigation.
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Berkeley Heights
An anonymous school threat posted on social media that was thought to be directed towards Berkeley Heights schools was unfounded, police reported.
A concerned Berkeley Heights student who saw a re-post of a screenshot image of the school threat shared it with a school administrator on Friday, Berkeley Heights Police reported.
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Bloomfield
A student at Bloomfield High School posts a photo of himself with a weapon on social media. The caption to the photo makes a "derogatory and inflammatory reference" to a fatal school shooting.
Is it a threat?
That was the question Bloomfield Superintendent Salvatore Goncalves found himself confronting late Saturday night when he was alerted about the BHS student's social media post that contained the above material. His response? Call the police.
Citing the district's "zero-tolerance policy" and a "concern for safety," Goncalves said that he alerted the Bloomfield Police Department about the student's social media post.
Police eventually determined that the picture was taken out of state, and the student is not in possession of any weapons or currently part of the regular program, Goncalves said.
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Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School district
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Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District student has been arrested in connection with a threat made to a school, Aberdeen Township police said Feb. 17.
a Facebook post on Feb. 17, police said the student has been charged with making terroristic threats.
The student and the student's guardians are cooperating, police said, and there does not appear to be "a credible active security threat to any school or person." The investigation is continuing, police said.
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Parsippany
Brooklawn Middle School was placed on lockdown after a bullet was found in the hallway, Parsippany Police said Feb. 16.
The bullet was found at 2:25 p.m. that day by a student, and the school was placed on lockdown afterwards. Police searched the school for any possible threats, weapons, or other ammunition. After police finished the search, students were dismissed for the day around 3 p.m.
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East Brunswick
An East Brunswick High School student was arrested Feb. 16 after allegedly making a terroristic threat in an online post, school officials said. The district also planned to place armed police officers at each school building in response to the Florida shootings.
Franklin Township, Somerset County
A 14-year-old male student was taken into custody and charged after a threat was made against the high school on Feb. 15, police said.
The teen was processed and released to his parents. School officials have suspended the student from school.
Late Thursday, members of the Board of Education became aware of a threat made against Franklin Township High School on social media, according to police.
The board immediately contacted the Franklin Township Police Department. After an investigation, police determined that it was not a credible threat and the students were never in any danger as a result of this incident, police said.