N.J. Teen Faces Multiple Charges After Bringing Toy Gun To School: Cops

Maplewood, NJ - A 15-year-old student at Columbia High School in Maplewood is facing multiple charges after allegedly bringing a toy gun to school and prompting school officials to issue a Code Yellow alert on Dec. 3.

On Monday, Maplewood police announced that they have charged the ninth-grader with possession of an imitation firearm, creating a false public alarm, making terroristic threats, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon in an educational institution.

“The [student] had a toy handgun that had the safety feature identifying it as a toy removed,” police stated in a release. “It was observed in the actor’s possession by other students and he then entered the school with it. School administrators were notified of a possible weapon in the school and in turn notified the Police Department… The Code Yellow was activated as a precautionary measure.”

Police continued:

“While in the school, the [student] then displayed the weapon to a 14-year-old male student, and he had a brief interaction with the victim that caused him to become fearful that the weapon would be used against him.”

The incident was the second Code Yellow issued at the school in as many months. Police and school officials issued an alert in late November, which turned out to be based on a social media comment from students that alluded to a potential shooting.

• See related article: Columbia High School Lockdown: 2 Students May Have Been Involved In Social Media ‘Threat’
• See related article: Columbia High School: Code Yellow Alert Was Result Of Social Media Post, Principal Says

Maplewood schools have also seen two other gun-related scares and lockdowns in 2015.

On June 3, a 7th grade student at Maplewood Middle School allegedly brought a loaded 9mm Glock handgun with hollow point bullets to school at lunchtime, police stated.

The incident prompted authorities to declare a “Code Red” lockdown at the school as a safety precaution, until the 13-year-old student was located and apprehended and the campus could be searched, according to police.

School officials stated at the time that the student is “under detention” and “will not be returning to Maplewood Middle School.”

The next day, another gun scare took place at Columbia High, when a 15-year-old male student was taken into custody for bringing an air soft gun and kitchen knife to campus at the end of the school day.

Authorities placed the school in “shelter in place status” until the student was apprehended and the campus was searched.

“As a precautionary measure, additional patrols have been assigned to the area of the High School,” Maplewood police stated after the incident.

Later that month, school officials with the South Orange and Maplewood School District hosted a “Town Hall on School Safety” in the wake of the back to back school scares.

“Recent incidents at Columbia High School and Maplewood Middle School have understandably raised concerns about how to keep our children safe, both in our schools and in our larger community,” school administrators posted on the district website prior to the meeting.