UPDATE: School bomb scares on warm days may be a common occurrence, but when threatening calls were received today at high schools in four different towns, along with one to a Board of Education in a fifth, authorities had to take particular notice. That includes the FBI and the New Jersey State Police.
This afternoon’s near-simultaneous threats to Fort Lee, Hackensack, Garfield and Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood — along with the Leonia Board of Education building and Garfield police headquarters — “appear to be from the same number,” a law enforcement source told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Another added that it was initially believe to be from North Carolina with a possible Garfield connection.
The FBI was notified because of the timing and the suspicion that a single source was responsible, they said. State Police became involved given the scope.
It began earlier today with a call to Garfield police headquarters, a sweep of which was completed, Bergen County Police Capt. James Mullin told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Within 10 minutes, calls came in to Dwight Morrow, Fort Lee, Hackensack and Garfield high schools, along with the Leonia Board of Education, Mullin said.
The Bergen County Police Department sent bomb squad and K9 units to the affected schools to join local police and Bergen County Sheriff’s officers while local firefighters and ambulance crews remained on standby.
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(Above: Fort Lee HS)
