A Mantua minor was identified by police as a suspect and was charged with making Terroristic Threats and Creating False Public Alarm.
By KRYSTAL NURSE
The Sun
Harrison Township Police Chief Thomas Mills said the district is safe from any threats following a note found last night alleging a person was bringing a bomb to Clearview Middle School.
On March 11, officials say an off-duty police officer from another town informed the Harrison Township Police Department that the note was found in the middle school’s bathroom during a youth basketball game.
According to officials, the note stated that someone was bringing a bomb to the school the following day.
On March 12, the police said a review into the school’s surveillance by Det. Adam McEvoy and SRO Patrick Morris (high school) and Ryan Golden (middle school) were able to identify a suspect.
The suspect was identified to be a 14-year-old Mantua male student and was charged with Terroristic Threats and Creating False Public Alarm. The student, whose name was withheld due to being a minor, was released to his parents pending juvenile court.
On March 11, Mills said his department worked with Gloucester and Camden counties’ sheriff departments, Mantua and Deptford township’s K-9 units to conduct a sweep of the middle school to ensure no threats existed to students or faculty alike.
“It wasn’t a manpower search, moreso that it was a K-9 request search,” Mills said.
Superintendent John Horchak said the high school also remains safe and no additional threat to the district’s safety was made.
Officials said the high school wasn’t deemed to be in need of a search.
“I’m very confident with our local police departments [Harrison and Mantua] and ongoing communication and cooperation with them,” he added.
Horchak also stated a controlled opening on March 12 was enacted out of caution, at the direction of police, to properly screen the belongings of students and staff as they entered in only two locations into the middle school.
“As the students get off the buses, personal belongings are searched by the [K-9s],” said Horchak. “They are instructed to put their backpacks on the ground and K-9s search that, then the students will go into the building.”
He added parents, students and staff were cooperative despite the events and showed how well the district works in regard to safety.
“We work with the school, the public gets it, and we try to make sure they know what’s happening without compromising any actions or activity taking place,” said Mills in regard to how the public is notified about security threats. “Today, it was fantastic and we accomplished everything we needed.”
For some parents feeling uneasy sending their child back to school a day following the alleged bomb threat, Horchak said the school would not be open if the district or police felt anyone was in danger.
“[The police] dedicated a lot of time and effort to ensure the safety of students and staff,” Horchak said. “Without their quick response, we wouldn’t have been able to open school in a timely manner or at all, but the response has been phenomenal and we appreciate it.”
“Everybody’s safe and everything’s taken care of, and there’s no additional threats,” Mills said.
