Police investigate second threat to Kellenberg Memorial High School in two days
Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale was briefly evacuated Tuesday morning after an out-of-state text threat, later proven to be false, warned of bombs and two armed people on campus, authorities said. Credit: Nassau County Local Economic Assistance Corp.
For the second straight morning, a caller to a crisis hotline alleged a bomb had been planted at Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale, forcing Nassau County police officers to respond to the site Wednesday.
And, for the second straight morning, police said, officers were able to clear the building – finding no credible threat.
Police said the Department of Homeland Security also had again been notified and said investigators are trying to determine if the two incidents are, in fact, connected.
Police said no arrests have been made. It was not immediately clear if a suspect has – or, suspects have – been identified.
Police said the threat was received at 6:38 a.m. and that school was not yet in session, meaning the building did not need to be evacuated. The threat Tuesday was received at 7:12 a.m., police said.
That threat was made through the 988 Lifeline Suicide & Crisis Hotline. Police said the threat Wednesday also was made through a crisis hotline, but could not immediately say if it was through the same crisis line.
On Tuesday, Kellenberg principal Bro. Kenneth M. Hoagland said in a message to parents and guardians that that threat indicated two armed intruders were hiding in a school bathroom. Police said the threat also included bombs being placed at the school.
Officials said Tuesday those threats were texted from a phone number based in Oregon.
Officers evacuated the building and conducted a search for any suspects or an explosive device but found none. Students and staff were allowed back on campus in time for the regular school day, according to Kellenberg school officials.
There were not a lot of students at the school yet since homeroom does not start until 8:10 a.m., said Chris Cartier, director of special projects at the high school. Any students who were there were directed to nearby athletic fields, Cartier said.
He added that police left the school about 8:50 a.m.
The threat Wednesday is at least the seventh security-related incident connected to Long Island schools since most started fall classes last week, and at least the fourth in the past five days.
In Huntington Station, Suffolk County police had additional patrol cars parked outside Stimson Middle School for a second day Tuesday after an investigation of a noncredible social media threat made Sunday night.
"To ensure the safety of our schools, the Suffolk County Police Department will provide an increased presence within the community as an added layer of security around our schools," South Huntington Superintendent Vito D'Elia said in a letter to parents.
On Friday, an unidentified woman entered East Islip Middle School through an unlocked door before being escorted out by security officers.
Hoagland said in his message to parents that the school was a target of "swatting," when police are called to emergencies that are later determined to be false.
"The administrators made sure full cooperation was given to the police and guided the students who were arriving or already in the building to the football field. As soon as we could communicate with you we did so," Hoagland said in a letter to parents. "I admire how the police consistently respond to such hoaxes with intensity, seriousness of purpose, and grave concern for each and every person in the area."
