Toms River South Evacuated; Bomb Threat Unfounded: Authorities

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A tip about a possible bomb threat relayed to state Homeland Security officials prompted the evacuation of Toms River High School South on Tuesday morning at the start of the school day, officials said.

The threat was determined to not be credible, authorities said.

An anonymous tip to the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness was relayed to the Toms River Police Department about 6:45 a.m., said Jillian Messina of the Toms River Police Department.

"It was stated in the tip that the person was unsure if what they overheard was a joke or an actual threat and wanted to alert authorities just in case," Messina said.

Toms River Schools officials were alerted "regarding a bomb threat on the campus of High School South," Mike Kenny, Toms River Regional Schools spokesman, said in an emailed statement. "All students and staff were safely and immediately evacuated as Toms River Police Department investigated the threat, which they ultimately determined was not credible."

Messina said Toms River Police and Ocean County Sheriff K9 bomb officers conducted a thorough search of the area and the school and found no evidence of a bomb. Once cleared, students and staff returned to the building.

Kenny said students and staff were allowed back in about 8:45 a.m.

The police department praised the person who called in the tip.

"We commend them for alerting authorities," Messina said. "See something, say something, it’s always better to be safe!"

Students posted videos to SnapChat showing the scene as they sat in the bleachers at the football field while law enforcement officers with K9s sniffed backpacks and belongings on the field.

Some of the videos had captions: "American high school core," and "evacuated before the day started," and one that said "we safe now ig".

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