Bayonne Closes Schools Monday Due To Twitter Threat

BAYONNE, NJ — The Bayonne school district and mayor closed all public schools Monday, March 5 after the school district received a threatening post on Twitter. The tweet was sent Friday, however, both the mayor and superintendent of schools said they were not made aware of it until Sunday night.

The tweet stated that "All Bayonne schools would be shot up Monday morning," said Bayonne schools superintendent Dr. Michael Wanko.

It has yet to be discredited by the Bayonne police department, and the person who tweeted it has not yet been found. Dr. Wanko said he wasn't made aware of the tweet until 7:43 p.m. Sunday night.

At 7:15 p.m. Sunday, Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis first informed the public, via his Facebook page, that the threat had been made. He said Sunday night he planned to keep schools open Monday, with armed police officers stationed at every building.

However, at 6:40 a.m. Monday, Davis reversed course, making the decision to close all schools today as police continue to investigate.

"I apologize for the late notice. We were hopeful that the post would be deemed non-credible by this morning, and school could be in session," said Dr. Wanko, in an emergency email sent to all parents Monday morning.

Additionally, High Tech High School is on lockdown Monday because of a separate threat made there. A threatening note was found in the school building. Students will not be allowed to leave the school the entire school day, Phil Swibinski, a spokesman for the county school district, told NJ.com.

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