Yonkers, NY – On Sunday, October 13th, 2019, at approximately 3:45 PM the Yonkers Police Department received several reports of school shooting threats circulating on social media platforms against students at Lincoln High School located on Kneeland Avenue. The threats consisted of specific language (texts) to carry out a school shooting with an intended number of victims to occur on Friday, October 25th, 2019, during a prep rally. Police Officers immediately initiated an investigation.

Police Officers and Detectives assigned to the Intelligence Unit recovered multiple social media postings that were shared on several platforms including Snapchat and Facebook. Investigators interviewed students and parents and were able to identify the origin of the posts. Investigation has yielded that a 15-year-old male freshman student of Lincoln High School was primarily responsible for initiating the online threats; a 14-year-old male friend of his who is a freshman at a different City of Yonkers high school shared the messages. The messaging indicated that their intentions were to carry out a school shooting and amass 20 victims each, and with the help of a third person, achieve a total of at least 60 victims. Based on the content of the messages, investigators developed probable cause to charge both students with one count of Making a Terroristic Threat, a Class D Violent Felony in the New York State Penal Law. They were both arrested yesterday without incident in the presence of their parents. Due to their ages, both students will be processed as juvenile delinquents in the Family Court system; no further identifying information will be released.

Investigators have determined these threats are limited to social media postings only. A search of their homes and backgrounds yielded no weapons or information that would indicate any means of implementing these threats at this time. The families of both students are cooperating with police. Investigators are continuing to work closely with our partners in the Yonkers Board of Education to ensure the safety of our students and school staff.

Commissioner John J. Mueller stated, “The Yonkers Police Department takes any and every threat against our schools and students with the utmost seriousness. We will commit every resource to ensure the safety of our communities, especially our youth. Let these arrests be a warning to those young people that engage in online misbehavior, that these types of fear-inducing actions have serious consequences as these two teens have just learned.”

Dr. Edwin M. Quezada stated, “The school district will be relentless in pursuing any individuals who threaten the safety of the students and staff in our schools, and who abuse social media.  Their intolerable actions waste valuable Police and District resources, disrupt our schools and create unnecessary fear in the community.  The school district works hand-in-hand with the Police and those individuals who generate this fear will be pursued to the full extent of the law.”

NOTE: Booking charges are merely accusations and the defendant(s) are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. ###

Alert sent on 10/15/2019 at 11:10AM EDT

2019-0041 Press Release (PNG)

Additional Information

Attachment: Download 2019-0041 Press Release (PDF)

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