Little Silver and Red Bank police investigated an apparent implied threat of violence at Red Bank Regional High School Sunday night before concluding there was no actual danger, they said Monday.
In a statement issued Monday morning, Little Silver Chief Dan Shaffery said his department received “numerous reports” starting at 9:14 p.m. about “a suspicious social media photo of what appeared to be a firearm with a caption ‘Stay Tuned’.”
From the statement:
This post was not directed to any individual or institution, however a screenshot of the post was circulated through students of Red Bank Regional High School. This post was immediately and thoroughly investigated by Little Silver and Red Bank Police Detectives, as well as the School Resource Officer and found to have originated from a student of Red Bank Regional High School. RBR School administrators were notified of these findings.
Police Officers located the subject who had made this posting and after interviews [determined] there was no evidence to support a threat of danger to the public or the school. The firearm depicted in the social media post was seized by police and was found not to be an actual firearm, however an airsoft gun which could reasonably be mistaken as real.
The subject whom posted the photo was arrested at approximately 11:00 pm and charged with NJSA 2C:33-3 (Creating False Public Alarm) and released on a summons pending a court appearance.
This matter was also referred to Red Bank Regional High School Administration and they stated “The status of the student has not been determined; however, the student is not in school today. The Red Bank Regional Board of Education does not tolerate threats of any kind and appropriate action will be taken to maintain a safe school environment. We realize that in our current social environment, events such as this can be unsettling. As always, please remember that members of our guidance department and the Source are available to provide support.”
Shortly after midnight Monday, RBR Superintendent Lou Moore emailed a notice to the school community reporting that a social media post had “implied a possible threat to school” but that police had investigated, found it “not credible,” and that the school would open at the regular time.
Moore told redbankgreen that RBR was seeing unusually low attendance, which he attributed to the “rumor,” but otherwise, the school is operating as normal, he said.
