Bloomfield Student’s Gun Photo Causes Stir; Cops Say 'No Threat'

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — 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.

“Please be aware that this unfortunate event does not present a current threat to the Bloomfield School District community,” Goncalves stated Monday evening. “Although I am sympathetic to the public inquiries regarding this event, I urge community members and parents to be aware that we are obligated to follow pupil privacy laws and I will provide further updates as they become available and as they become appropriate to disseminate.”

The Bloomfield High School Twitter account stated Monday that there was “no threat.” School officials plan to disseminate more information on Tuesday during physical education class.

“Thank you to all who reached out,” the post stated. “We must all work together to keep BHS safe.”

On Tuesday, the Bloomfield Police Department issued the following update:

"The Bloomfield Police Department has thoroughly investigated the photo that was posted and we have concluded that the posting was not meant as a threat. It was determined that the photo was taken out of state at a hunting camp. It was also ascertained that the hunting rifle in the picture is not in the State of New Jersey and is locked in a gun safe at the hunting camp. The hunting rifle is owned by a relative and is a legally purchased weapon stored at the out of state hunting camp and used by the adult relative for the purpose of hunting. The Bloomfield Police Youth Aid Division will continue to work with the BOE to ensure that there is no threat to our students. I will also emphasize that at no time was a threat to shoot at a school ever made."

'SCHOOL THREAT' INVESTIGATIONS

The threat investigation in Bloomfield comes less than a week after a tragic mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that claimed the lives of 17 people and injured several others.

• See related article: Accused Parkland Shooter Charged With 17 Counts Of Murder

However, Bloomfield isn’t the only Essex County school district to encounter a suspected threat in the wake of the Parkland shooting.

On Friday, officials closed the Nutley Public School District after the district administration became aware of a potential “security threat” related to a video posted on Instagram. The social media post was eventually deemed to not be an immediate threat.

• See related article: Nutley Schools Closed Because Of Security Threat

The state Department of Education's recently released statistics on "Violence, Vandalism and Substance Abuse" show that 578 schools had at least one incident involving a "weapon" during the 2016-17 school year.

• See related article: Weapons Found In These 578 NJ Schools During 2016-17 Year

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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