Halloween Dance Turns Chaotic After False Stabbing Rumor In Beachwood

BEACHWOOD, NJ — The source of a false rumor about a stabbing at the Halloween dance the Toms River Intermediate School South is under investigation after the dance came to a chaotic ending on Friday night, officials said Saturday.

Beachwood police said its officers were present at the school on Pinewald Road for the dance "and can confirm no such incident occurred," the department said.

There were two medical emergencies that were tended to, Beachwood police said, "neither of wich was related to any physical altercation."

Toms River Regional Schools Superintendent Michael Citta said the medical emergencies involved two separate situations where children had panic attacks. The panic attacks happened before the rumors began circulating, he said.

"Nobody was hurt, nobody was bleeding," Citta said by phone Saturday.

Citta said the district and authorities are investigating the source of the rumor and whether it was spread maliciously or not.

While authorities told the students several times that there was no stabbing and no weapon, the rumors spread more quickly, causing panicked students to leave the dance, Citta said.

Parents whose children called them described the situation as "very scary" even as the district and police department were trying to address the fact that the rumor was a lie.

"An email went out to parents right away," Citta said, and that along with a Facebook post by the Beachwood Police Department attempted to dispel the rumors.

"Tonight, at our Halloween dance rumors were spread about possible violence at Intermediate South," Principal Paul T. Gluck wrote in the email to parents. "Unfortunately, false rumors spread quickly and caused students to exit the building. There were a few students who did have health concerns therefore requiring medical attention."

"The Beachwood police were present at the dance and found no credible threat. Our staff worked to ensure students all went home safely," Gluck said. "It was an unfortunate end to one of our most attended dances. Please know we will work to ensure this does not occur in the future events."

Beachwood police said they heard from numerous parents with concerns and their investigation found the rumor was false.

"We continue to work with the Intermediate School faculty and staff to quickly and accurately dispel any unfounded allegations," police said.