Hoboken High School Lockdown Investigation Continues: Update

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken police are still investigating a threat that forced a lockdown of three local public schools on Oct. 8, officials said.

On that day, Hoboken High School students were told to shelter in place around 2:45 p.m. Two elementary schools were subsequently locked down as a precaution.

At the time, Schools Superintendent Christine Johnson said the high school had received a phone threat. Police went door to door to search the school, and released students a half hour after regular dismissal.

Unlike a similar incident in February, in which the school received a hoax phone call, officials have not said definitively what caused the lockdown. PRIOR REPORTING: Hoboken High School Lockdown Was Part Of Dangerous Trend

On Friday, Johnson told Patch, "I was told that it is still an active investigation. As a result, I do not have any additional information to share." She said she will share information with the public when she has a definitive answer.

She noted that other high schools in the state experienced lockdowns in the same day.

Indeed, several schools in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Virginia were locked down that week due to "swatting" or the practice of making a prank call to emergency workers to cause a massive police response.

Other North Jersey schools were locked down that week for specific reasons: One because a student believed another student had a knife, and another because a man with a machete was spotted near a school. Posed ultimately posed no threat, officials said.

But last week, a school shooting took the lives of three students and a teacher in a special education classroom.

Phone Threats

Even threats that are determined to be false can be dangerous, officials say.

They take law enforcement away from situations where they are needed, and also put the victims at risk.

In 2022, Maplewood police rushed to a home due to a report of a shooting, and demanded via loudspeaker that the occupants come out. It was a man, woman, and toddler, and they had no idea what was happening. (READ MORE: Maplewood 'Swatting' Incident Drives Family From Home)

"Calls of this type are very serious and dangerous," said then-Police Chief James DeVaul. "It could easily have led to resistance, escalation, a use of force incident, extreme stress and anxiety for all involved."

Last year, a teenager in California was sentenced to four years in prison for making more than 300 "swatting" calls to schools and other institutions.

Patch has reached out to a Hoboken public safety spokesperson for an update on the school investigation.

PRIOR REPORTING: Hoboken High School Lockdown Was Part Of Dangerous Trend

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