Officials: Police at South Huntington school after bogus threat

St. Anthony's High School will return to normal Thursday, with no additional Suffolk police officers on campus, police said late Wednesday.

Uniformed Suffolk officers had been at the South Huntington high school Wednesday after a social media post, since determined to be a hoax, threatened an "act of violence" would take place at St. Anthony's, police and school officials said.

It was late Tuesday that Southampton Town police said the alleged threat, suggesting a local teenager planned to shoot up the high school, was a hoax.

Southampton police issued a statement saying a 16-year-old Hampton Bays boy informed them he was being falsely accused in chats over social media of plotting to attack St. Anthony's — and said both the Southampton Town Detective Division and Suffolk police detectives "have determined the threat to be noncredible."

Southampton police said administrators in Hampton Bays and at St. Anthony's were notified and that an investigation was launched to reveal the origin of the bogus threat.

The incident was outlined in a letter by St. Anthony's principal, Brother David Anthony Migliorino, to school parents Tuesday.

That letter did not provide specifics but said the school would operate on "a lock-out protocol" Wednesday — and asked that parents limit visits to the school.

It also said that in addition to uniformed presence of Second Precinct officers, the school would provide "added security" and would conduct bag checks on all students as they arrived at school Wednesday.

The letter by Migliorino cited the social media post but did not indicate where that message was posted. Like the statement released by Southampton Town police, the letter by Migliorino also stated that the person cited in the post is not the originator, and has cooperated fully with police investigators.

"Other than the threat being directed towards St. Anthony's High School, there were no other specifics," Migliorino wrote, adding, "This is a most unfortunate incident, considering all the good that happens in St. Anthony’s on a daily basis. In today’s educational climate, any intimidating messages to a school must be taken seriously. St. Anthony’s will not accept any overt threat to our student body and our beloved school. Appropriate action will be taken towards any students found connected to this situation."

Anyone with information regarding the threat or those involved is being asked to immediately contact Southampton detectives at 631-702-2230.

With Antonio Planas

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com,zachary.dowdy@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”