By: Richard L. Smith
Authorities in Essex County are continuing to investigate the motive behind a threat made against a gymnasium in West Orange Thursday.
West Orange Police were notified of the threat by school officials and immediately took action to secure the sections of the high school, specifically the gymnasium.
West Orange Assistant Superintendent of schools Mr. Hayden Moore released the following statement Thursday:
“This morning, we became aware of a generic bomb threat.
This threat was shared through a student’s social media group chat and we immediately contacted the West Orange Police Department.
While the high school was not mentioned specifically, the threat alluded to an athletic event taking place at West Orange High School later this afternoon.
The threat was quickly assessed by the West Orange Police Department along with Essex County Sheriff’s Department, who advised us to close off the high school’s Tarnoff Gymnasium to permit the Essex County Canine Unit to investigate.
Following the investigation, the West Orange Police Department and the Essex County Sheriff's Department notified us that there was no evidence of a bomb or other threat inside the high school Tarnoff Gymnasium.
We are sincerely appreciative of the West Orange Police Department's prompt response and the diligence of the Essex County Sheriff's Department in ensuring the safety of our staff and students.
Out of the abundance of caution, we are grateful to the West Orange Police Department for providing police officers to support our security personnel at the activities scheduled for the Tarnoff Gymnasium”.
The incident remains under investigation.