A Woodbridge woman who is being hailed as a hero may be unknown, but she is certainly not unsung.
Mayor John McCormac and other officials made sure of that when they presented the Mayor’s Award for Public Safety during a Township Council meeting this month, commending the woman for contacting police about a threat at Woodbridge High School.
“It’s like the unknown soldier,” McCormac said after reading the proclamation. “We don’t know who this woman is — we just know that she potentially could have helped us avoid a catastrophe, an absolute disaster, because this was a legitimate threat. This wasn’t just some kid talking.”
The kid in question, a 17-year-old Woodbridge High School senior, was arrested Oct. 29 and charged with terroristic threats and cre- ating a false public alarm after allegedly stating that he planned to shoot other students at the school.
Police arrested the teen after investigating claims made by other students that he told them “they should not go to school on Oct. 30, as something bad was going to happen,” according to the mayor’s proclamation.
Police learned of the alleged threat when the anonymous woman now being honored called a police officer she knew on Oct. 26. The woman told police she heard about the threat from her child, who is also a student at the school, according to McCormac.
“The immediate and timely action of the parent and student to report the threat … served to allow the Woodbridge Police Department and school district administration to take all necessary actions to preserve and protect the public safety of Woodbridge High School students, teachers, faculty and staff,” he said.
The mayor said the investigation into the threat represented a major effort on the part of township police.
“They didn’t just talk to two people, three people, five people,” McCormac said. “They did an exhaustive search. … ”
Through that search, he said, they were able to locate those who said they heard the alleged warning firsthand.
“They looked and they looked, and they talked and they talked, and they searched and they searched until they found … a significant threat,” he said, thanking the Police Department.
During a search of the teen’s home, officers found that he had access to three shotguns, according to police Capt. Roy Hoppock. Police seized the guns, which reportedly belonged to the teen’s father, and charged the father with one count of certain persons not to have weapons.
The teen was also found to be in possession of a single-edge razor blade, police said. He was additionally charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Woodbridge Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction John Bader and Woodbridge High School Principal Glenn Lottmann were on hand to express their gratitude during the council meeting.
Bader said students’ safety is the No. 1 priority, and he is confident that will be maintained with the support of the mayor and police.
Lottmann accepted the award on behalf of the anonymous woman, saying it will be displayed in the school’s entrance as a reminder of her good deed.
“You, ma’am, are a hero,” he said.