Cranford Teacher Arrested After Threatening School: Cops

CRANFORD, NJ - A faculty member at Orange Avenue School in Cranford was arrested and charged with one count of third degree terroristic threats and one count of fourth degree risking widespread injury or damage on Friday, according to the Cranford Police Department.

Matthew Acosta, 33, of Kenilworth, was arrested after the Cranford Police Department was alerted to an incident involving a threat he had allegedly made, police said.

Cranford Superintendent Scott Rubin said it was the diligence of a staff member that alerted authorities to the threat.

"A staff member reported hearing a threat against Orange Avenue School from another staff member," Rubin said. "The police were immediately notified, and after investigating the incident, contacted the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, who charged the individual."

Acosta was remanded to the Union County Jail pending a detention hearing, police said. An ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Cranford Police Department Investigative Division.

According to statute N.J.S.A. 2C:17-2(c) fourth degree risking widespread injury or damage is when a person who knowingly or recklessly fails to take reasonable measures to prevent or mitigate widespread injury or damage. The crime is rated as fourth degree, if:

• He knows that he is under an official, contractual or other legal duty to take such measures
• He did or assented to the act causing or threatening the injury or damage.

Widespread injury or damage means serious bodily injury to five or more people or damage to five or more habitations or to a building which would normally have contained 25 or more persons at the time of the offense, the statute reads.

The New Jersey Terroristic Threats Law is contained at N.J.S.A. 2C:12-3 is defined as:

• A person is guilty of a crime of the third degree if he threatens to commit any crime of violence with the purpose to terrorize another or to cause evacuation of a building, place of assembly, or facility of public transportation, or otherwise to cause serious public inconvenience, or in reckless disregard of the risk of causing such terror or inconvenience. A violation of this subsection is a crime of the second degree if it occurs during a declared period of national, State or county emergency. The actor shall be strictly liable upon proof that the crime occurred, in fact, during a declared period of national, State or county emergency. It shall not be a defense that the actor did not know that there was a declared period of emergency at the time the crime occurred.
• A person is guilty of a crime of the third degree if he threatens to kill another with the purpose to put him in imminent fear of death under circumstances reasonably causing the victim to believe the immediacy of the threat and the likelihood that it will be carried out.

Cranford Police Chief Chief Ryan Greco recognized the efforts of all involved and the ongoing partnership between the police department and schools.

“In today’s day and age, we must take every threat or negative comment involving our schools seriously,” Greco said. “We will act swiftly and certainly to protect the safety of our children.”

Rubin said that Acosta had been placed on administrative leave.

"Let’s continue to maintain our vigilance. If you hear or see something, say something," Rubin said.

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.