N.J. officials say TikTok school shooting threat is not credible, but police presence will be boosted – NJ.com
UPDATE: TikTok pushes back after reports of viral school threat caused added security in N.J.
Education and police officials across New Jersey said a nationwide TikTok threat about a claim of school shootings planned for Friday was not credible, but authorities are planning to take precautions.
The threat being spread on social media was not specific to a school, according to accounts from law enforcement agencies. Still, the false threat prompted officials to alert parents and in some cases boost police presence at schools.
The TikTok threat has also been reported in California, Illinois and Texas, among other areas of the nation.
Gov. Phil Murphy said he spoke with Acting Attorney General Andrew Bruck, New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick Callahan and state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Acting Director Laurie Doran about the viral threat.
“While there are no known specific threats against New Jersey schools, the safety of our children is our highest priority and we will work closely with law enforcement to monitor the situation and remain prepared,” Murphy said on his Twitter account.
Local officials around the state took steps to reassure parents and students as news of the social media threat was shared Wednesday.
“At this time, the NJ ROIC (New Jersey Regional Operations Intelligence Center) is unaware of any specific, credible threats concerning this video relating to New Jersey schools,” the City of Burlington police said on Twitter, referring to a State Police information sharing center.
Similar statements were released by police and school officials in several communities around the state, including Hazlet, Neptune and Camden County.
“Please know that although this particular social media warning is generic and deemed not credible, we will continue to closely monitor any and every situation in the interest of safety and security,” Barnegat Township School District Superintendent Brian Latwis said on Twitter.
In a post on her Facebook page, State Sen. Holly Schepisi, R-Bergen, urged parents to talk with their children about possible threats.
“I am not aware of any direct threats against any local schools but in an abundance of caution there may be increased police presence in your local schools tomorrow,” Schepisi said.
“Please talk with your children if they have seen any of these type of videos and ensure that they keep open communication with you if they hear of anyone expressing a desire to commit violence in our schools. Make them understand that is not ‘snitching’ on a friend in a situation such as this,” she wrote.
A threat was also reported on Snapchat, according to Eastern Camden County Regional School District Superintendent of Schools Robert Cloutier.
“It can be expected these posts may migrate to other social media platforms or surface in messaging between students. Messages such as this current one, circulating in numerous states, typically cause confusion and heightened anxiety among the school community,” Cloutier said in an email.
“While such generalized messages are often intended only to achieve this goal, we do not discount the possibility they may motivate students who are contemplating an act of school violence to attempt to carry out their plan,” he said.
Voorhees Township police plan to boost presence at their local school, he added. Other districts also said more police would be on hand as a precaution.
The social media scare came as schools grapple with lockdowns and increased police presence prompted by threats in the weeks since a Michigan teen was charged with killing four students at Oxford High School.
In some of the threats, authorities have announced arrests of students and been forced to close schools.
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Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.