By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
A pre-recorded message that threatened harm to children — called “swatting” — was received by the John Witherspoon Middle School on Walnut Lane Tuesday morning, according to the Princeton Police Department.
The message, which was general in nature, was received by the school at 10:02 a.m., according to police. School district officials immediately notified the Police Department, which sent officers to the school. Police found the school to be safe.
As a precaution, police remained at the John Witherspoon Middle School throughout the day. All of the public and private schools in Princeton were notified, and police patrols have been increased in the areas of all the schools throughout the town.
This is the second time in two weeks that a school in the Princeton Public Schools received an unspecified threat. A pre-recorded message was called in to the Riverside Elementary School on Riverside Drive April 28. Police determined the call was a hoax called “swatting,” Superintendent of Schools Steve Cochrane said at the time.
Swatting has become more prevalent in New Jersey in the past year and involves contacting an individual or an institution with a false report designed to draw a response from a SWAT team, Mr. Cochrane said. The call can be generated from another state or another country.
The Princeton Police Department will continue to investigate the origin of the call received Tuesday, as well as the call received April 28. Similar threats were received Tuesday at schools in Farmingdale and Holmdel, police said.
