13-Year-Old Somerset County Middle School Student Charged After Threatening Violence: Cops

FRANKLIN, NJ — A 13-year-old student was charged after police say he sent a text message threatening a violent act the Somerset County middle school, said Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson.

On Tuesday, Dec. 14, Franklin Township Police was alerted by school officials that a text message had been circulating among several students threatening a violent act at the Franklin Middle School Hamilton Street Campus that was supposed to happen on Wednesday, said Robertson.

School Resource Officers and Detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department immediately initiated an investigation and quickly determined the origin of the message and that the threat was not credible, said Robertson.

A 13-year-old student from the middle school was found to have sent the message as a prank, Robertson said.

The case was screened with the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and the teen was charged with third-degree causing false public alarm.

"Incidents such as these will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with the Franklin Township Police Department to ensure the safety and security of our student body, staff, and visitors. We urge parents to discuss with their children that incidents like this are serious and will always be referred to law enforcement," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Ravally.

"I am proud of the swift and sure actions of our officers. Through their hard work and dedication, they were able to quickly determine that this was not a credible threat. Incidents such as these put a tremendous stress on emergency services. I hope that young people will begin to realize that what they deem as a ‘prank’ has very real consequences," said Franklin Township Public Safety Director, Quovella M. Maeweather.

Many schools area already on alert on Friday after a nationwide TikTok "challenge" that encouraged students to threaten gun violence at their schools.

Multiple law-enforcement agencies say they are monitoring reports of the challenge, which has encouraged students to threaten gun violence at their schools on Friday. The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the state Department of Education's Office of School Preparedness and Emergency Planning alerted New Jersey districts to the Dec. 17 challenge, and several notified parents, students and staff while also taking steps to increase security.

The threat is a generic one to schools across the country, officials in several districts said as they tried to reassure families that students and staff will be safe.

The Tik Tok challenge comes on the heels of the ninth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the Michigan school shooting on Nov. 30 that killed four students and injured several others.

It also comes after two weeks of threats and rumors against New Jersey schools, including some that involved firearms. Read more: 11 NJ School Threats, Some Involving Guns, In Past 2 Weeks

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