CHS LOCKDOWN HAD SECOND STUDENT SUSPECT

Last week's lockdown at Columbia High School, prompted by a social media threat, actually included two alleged suspects, both students, who had alarmed administrators with online threats to attack the school.

As we reported last week, the lockdown that occurred on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015, was prompted by an Instagram threat by a ninth-grade male who said he would post a video of himself shooting up the school if his post recieved 1,000 likes.

Police later reported that the student, a South Orange resident, was later arrested at his home and charged with making terroristic threats. The lockdown occurred at just after 8 a.m. and ended less than an hour later with students returning to class without incident.

But a police report of the incident obtained by Maplewoodian.com reveals a second student was also detained within the school and questioned for allegedly posting a response and encouraging the first student online by stating, "you're gonna beat me to it."

The report states that the second student, a female Maplewood resident, was found in the school, her parents were called and came to the high school and all of them were taken to police headquarters to be questioned. She was apparently not charged with anything.

The police report also indicates that the lockdown was prompted by an email from a parent to Columbia High School Dean Craig Rynar informing him that there had been a post on Instagram about the threat. It states Rynar contacted police at 8:05 a.m. and told them that the principal had already contacted the suspect's mother and confirmed he was at home.

The report states police were at the high school by 8:06 a.m., with more on the scene as of 8:11 a.m. and the code yellow was issued by 8:13 a.m. South Orange Police then arrived and the second suspect was found by 8:28 a.m. The lockdown was lifted by 8:41 a.m.

See the entire report HERE.