Copycat threats sparked school closures in at least one New Jersey town following the massacre at a Florida high school on Wednesday. Officials in Nutley, New Jersey, closed public schools and cancelled public events after a threat was posted in an Instagram video on Thursday.
The Nutley Police Department said they spoke to the person who posted the video, and that detectives are interviewing other people in connection with the video.
“We have decided to err on the side of safety and close schools tomorrow, February 16,” School Superintendent Julie Glazer said in a statement Thursday.
Law enforcement in South Carolina also arrested a high school student after he posted an image of himself on Snapchat holding a gun and threatening a school with “Round two of Florida.”
And a high school student was arrested in Vermont for making similar threats, as law enforcement officials take a zero tolerance policy on terroristic threats.
“We treat every one of these incidents seriously and we will do everything we can to make sure every student is safe at school, especially in today’s heightened state of alarm,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood said after deputies responded to a call from Pine Ridge High School where 2 bullets were found under a gym mat.
No gun was found in the school.
