Police Dispatched To Mahwah Schools After Fake 911 Call Claims Shooter In The Area
It is difficult to track where last week's prank call came from, police say
A prank 911 phone call last week claiming a shooter was in the area prompted police to respond to Betsy Ross and the Ridge Road Mahwah schools with both marked and unmarked cars, Police Chief James Batelli said.
The caller gave a detailed description of the shooter and the incident, and said the shooter ran from a “blue and white” house on Mahwah Road, which is in close proximity to Betsy Ross School, Batelli said.
“After several minutes we had some doubts about the validity of the call, but had to err on the side of caution because the caller was so explicit,” Batelli said.
“There was also a reference made to Vreeland Court which is in somewhat close proximity to Lenape Meadows School as well as other Ridge Road schools," he said.
The 911 call, Batelli said, originated in Somerset County, was transferred to Warren Township, and then to Mahwah.
After securing the area, police determined the call was a fake. Batelli said he believes the call was “definitely a prank” because “we checked and there were no shooting victims in the county where the call originated or surrounding areas.”
However, tracking the prank caller may not be so easy.
“While the caller was on the line we were attempting to coordinate the signal/coordinates of the cell phone being used. We are still working on tracking the call to the cell phone, but believe it was a pre-paid cellular phone that makes it extremely difficult to trace,” Batelli said.
Though none of the Mahwah schools were directly connected with the incident, some Mahwah parents were alarmed after seeing police cars at the schools. “Parents [were] wondering if they should be worried," one mother of a Lenape Meadows student told Patch. “I think everyone just wants to know that there is nothing to be concerned about for their own kids safety.”
In This article
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Betsy Ross School
20 Malcolm Rd, Mahwah, NJ -
Lenape Meadows Elementary School
160 Ridge Rd, Mahwah, NJ
T-Bird 148
10:16 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Breaking news ... that happened last week. lol
Andy Schmidt
10:50 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Considering that I get emails from the schools for every fund-raiser in town (which I do NOT mind getting), it would have been highly appropriate/desirable for the school administration to at least for ONCE make use of the mailing list to send a notice about ACTUAL school business that same day, to avoid scary rumors from spreading.
Troubling to think that there can be a potential serious concern and there is no policy in place about notifications (even if only an "All's Clear")! After Virginia Tech I would have expected more sensibility!
S. B.
10:52 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I was there when the three police cars came in with lights blinking. It looked like they were detaining the bus driver. I really think the schools should have issued a statement about this since it was in plain site and many people saw it at drop-off time. The rumors have been flying. The district or police should have informed the population--either via email or reverse 911.
Sue Reardon
11:40 am on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
see, now THIS is a problem... because I hadn't been at Lenape for drop-offs... only pickups at the end of the day... and I guess I haven't spoken to anyone long enough to hear any rumors... because this is the FIRST i'm hearing about this... WHY IS THAT??? i mean, a year or two ago, i got a reverse 911 call because all the students were brought inside because of a bear!! and i got a call after the fact when they caught the bank robber right there on ridge road.... why the heck did we not get ANY notification of this?????? now i'm angry :/
Lori Belotti
12:58 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Why am I reading about this here a week later? Wha is wrong with the school system? Oh that's right...it didn't involve a fundraiser...
spatz1
2:00 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I got a call this past week from JK principle stating NOT to park up by the Food Action parking but no call about the shooting? WTF! The school system as well as the PD are both to blame and should figure out what the priorities are, the safety of the town and children or the school and PBA fundraisers.
T-Bird 148
2:33 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I can understand why people might be upset this information was not released sooner, but this was not an actual emergency ... and what does this have to with the PBA? Oh, that's right ... nothing!
Andy Schmidt
3:02 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
T-Bird - that depends on your definition of "emergency". If the cavalry runs out with lights blinking, marked and unmarked cars and scour the area - this is for REAL. While at the end it may have turned out to be a prank call, it is in "emergency" for the time it is taking place.
If there's smell of gas and they evacuate one of the schools every few months, it's an "emergency" - even if at the end no equipment or gas line ever needed fixing and it was just someone's overstimulated rhinal appendage.
Mercedes1
10:33 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I believe mass hysteria was avoided!
T-Bird 148
8:06 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Andy, like I said, "I can understand why people might be upset ..." I understand and agree with your position on emergencies, real or perceived, in or around the school. I am a parent of a child that attends a school in the effected area. There are all kinds of "emergencies" that occur everyday, but I do not think it is necessary to be notified of every one. That being said, I understand some people do want to be notified and I don't begrudge them. I can't, however, understand why someone would take a swipe at an organization that has no culpability in this particular situation.
Nick
8:58 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2012
T-Bird ... The school blasts out community and fundraising emails everyday. Then something related to school security happens, and nothing? If Montesano was still here, we'd have heard about this already. I agree that it has nothing to do w/ the PBA.