Swatting Call Triggers Police Response, Shelter-In-Place At Hightstown High School

HIGHTSTOWN, NJ — Hightstown High School was placed under a temporary shelter-in-place Friday morning after the school received an anonymous phone call threatening a school shooting, police said.

The threatening call came in around 8:15 a.m., according to Hightstown Police. School officials immediately notified authorities and activated a shelter-in-place, restricting the movement of students and staff and limiting access to the building.

Officers from the Hightstown Police Department, assisted by East Windsor Police Department and school personnel, conducted a walkthrough of the building. Drones deployed by the Robbinsville and Trenton police departments swept the exterior grounds and surrounding areas. Both the building and its grounds were cleared of any threat.

"We do not believe there is an imminent threat at this time," Superintendent Mark Daniels wrote in a message to the school community, adding that police were working with school administration to assess the credibility of the call.

Investigators determined the incident to be a swatting call — a form of harassment in which someone makes a false emergency report to trigger a large law enforcement response. The shelter-in-place was lifted and the school resumed normal operations.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Hightstown Police Department at (609) 448-1234 and ask for Det. Philip Esposito.

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