Cops say he discussed making bombs, killing
By: Jack Baney
Police Monday charged a Hillsborough High School junior with terroristic threats, after being told by students that he discussed making bombs and killing a 19-year-old Manville man.
Jayson Polansky, 18, of Montgomery Road, left Somerset County Jail Tuesday on $25,000 bail, following his 7:30 p.m. Monday arrest.
According to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, multi ple Hillsborough students said Mr. Polansky spoke of making bombs, and one said Mr. Polansky explained how to make them from pipes and tennis balls.
A search of Mr. Polansky’s former residence on 13th Street in Manville, where he lived with his mother, turned up items that could be used to make such bombs, police said.
Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest declined to specify the items, though he said they are not illegal.
Other Hillsborough High School students told police that Mr. Polansky said he planned to kill the Manville man, according to police.
Mr. Forrest said the Manville man might have assaulted Mr. Polansky, but police have not determined the truth of this statement.
When Hillsborough High School received bomb scares last month, Mr. Polansky allegedly spoke to other students about blowing up the school, said the prosecutor. However, his comments were not actual threats, Mr. Forrest said.
"He discussed that you shouldn’t be making idle threats about it- that you should just do it," the prosecutor said.
Students concerned about those statements initially approached Hillsborough Police Officer Richard Evans, the high school’s resource officer, police said.
Hillsborough police referred questions about the matter to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Mr. Polansky was free on $5,000 bail at the time of the alleged threats, having being charged Feb. 24 with burglary, theft and three counts of arson for incidents that allegedly occurred in Manville.
The arson allegedly involved automobiles at the Showcase Motorsports Company on South Main Street, while the burglary and theft charges stemmed from alleged incidents at a Ninth Avenue residence and a 10th Avenue residence.
Mr. Polansky relocated to a relative’s residence in Hillsborough and enrolled in the high school about six weeks ago, police said.
High school officials did not know of the other allegations against Mr. Polansky until Monday, said Superintendent Robert Gulick.
"Generally speaking, they are not advised of the background of (an adult) student unless the student and/or the family informs them," he said.
Nor did high school authorities consider Mr. Polansky to be a troubled student, said Dr. Gulick.
"As far as his classroom behavior is concerned, he was a typical teen-age student and he was not remarkable in any way," he said.
Dr. Gulick praised both the Police Department’s handling of the matter and the actions of students who approached police about Mr. Polansky’s alleged statements.
He said the students need to be commended "for their good judgment and courage in bringing that matter to Officer Evans," he said. "If they didn’t exercise adult judgment, we may never have found out about this."
Dr. Gulick said he is "shocked" by the allegations made in a Prosecutor’s Office statement about the matter. If they are true, he said, the district will penalize Mr. Polansky accordingly.
High school students who face major disciplinary penalties are entitled to hearings both at the high school and before the Board of Education.
"If that information contained in that press release is accurate, we have a troubled young person that must be dealt with in a swift and harsh matter to ensure the safety of those who attend and work at Hillsborough High School," he said. "The Board of Education will exercise their responsibility to deal with this matter expeditiously."
Dr. Steve Rubin, a psychologist and director of Intervention Associates on River Road, said Wednesday that violent threats and actions made by boys constitute a major problem schools need to address.
"If they don’t, it’ll be too late," said Dr. Rubin, who specializes in violence prevention. "These kids will grow up and will have the problems we already have."
Our culture’s violent entertainment and fostering of "macho" attitudes in boys are major factors in encouraging boys’ violence, he said.
American schools, including Hillsborough’s, should establish programs discourage boys’ violence by addressing gender roles and alternatives to violence, said Dr. Rubin.