Newark Public defender Anthony F. Ambrose reports that students and school personnel at People's Prep Charter School (old Camden Middle School) located at 321 Bergen Street were under lockdown for several hours due to a report of a student with a handgun today.
Police said earleir this week a group of students were involved in a physical altercation which continued as verbal disputes throughout the week.
Authorities said, shortly after 11a.m., school officials were informed that a student had entered the building armed with a gun.
Immediately afterwards, the school principal ordered that the school be locked down and Newark Police were alerted.
The student who was alleged to have had the gun, was searched and no weapon was found authorities said.
Members of the Newark Police Devision as well as the Essex County Sheriffs office and K-9 officers did a thorough searched the building and failed to recover a weapon but did find a cigarette lighter fashioned in the shape of a gun was recovered inside the school.
Residents in the area said that random fighting and other disturbances around the building that houses as many as three charter schools have escalated since last school year.
"The way that some of the students behave after school, you wouldn't think that it's a school that's prepared to do better than public schools. I've lived around the school for over 25 years and I don't remember Camden Middle being this disruptive, a Bergen Street resident said.
Detectives are still continuing the investigation.
Police are asking for any information on the incident or any other crime to contact the Departments 24 hour Crime Stoppers tip line at 877-NWK-TIPS (877)-695-8477 or NWK-GUNS (877)-695-4867.
All anonymous tips are kept confidential.
No injuries have been reported as a result of the incident.