Shooting Threat At Howell School Not Believed To Be Credible, Police Say

HOWELL, NJ -- Authorities are hoping to drive home the message of “words and actions have consequences” after two Howell middle school students were removed from school Tuesday in the wake of threats to orchestrate a school shooting, police said.

Howell Township police were notified early Tuesday morning of the threat after a concerned parent who saw text messages reported the potential threat to school authorities, Detective Sgt. Christian Antunez said.

The text messages were part of a group chat that occurred among students earlier Tuesday morning, he said. Howell schools were on a 90-minute delayed opening as a result of the lingering effects of Saturday’s blizzard.

“During this group chat, two members of the group, students at Middle School North, engaged in threatening rhetoric and innuendos of violence regarding school shootings, specifically orchestrating a school shooting at Middle School North,” Antunez said.

Antunez said all available Howell police officers responded to the school on Squankum-Yellowbrook Road and were positioned around the exterior and interior of the school to provide protection. As buses arrived, students were escorted off their buses to the gymnasium, which was secured by officers keeping watch while the matter was investigated, he and Police Chief Andrew Kudrick said.

“Fortunately, the 90-minute delay allowed adequate time for officers to respond prior to students’ arrival. This resulted in a coordinated effort to assist staff with escorting students safely off their buses,” Antunez said.

The two students involved with the threat were identified and escorted by police and staff from the bus directly into the custody of Howell Police, Antunez said, and the lockers and bags of those involved were searched.

No weapons were found, he said. The school returned to normal activities about 9:30 a.m., officials said. Kudrick, whose son is a student at the school, provided regular updates on the situation and urged parents to leave their children in school even after it was resolved.

“Please do not call the school or believe there’s an immediate need to remove your child,” Kudrick said at the time. “If you feel a need to, we will not prohibit it, but if you need reassurance, my child goes here and he’s staying.”

At this point in time, there is no indication that students or staff were in danger at any time and the threats made are not believed to be credible, Antunez said.

“It is important, however, for all students to be aware of the consequences of their words and actions,” he said.

Antunez said the matter is being investigated by Howell Detectives with assistance from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and school officials.

“The police department takes all matters regarding school violence extremely seriously,” Kudrick said. “The safety of our school community, both teachers and students, is paramount. We will do everything in our power to protect our children and investigate the matter thoroughly.”

“The Howell Police Department regularly engages in training and practical exercises for matters such as these,” he said. “We work very closely with school officials and the board of education and are very fortunate to have developed such a close working relationship. As a result, this matter was resolved quickly and allowed the school to resume its normal activities.

“We also thank the parents for their cooperation,” Kudrick said. ”In matters such as these, parents responding to the school en masse, can be more problematic than the incident itself.”

(Howell Middle School North, via Google Maps images)