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Franklin Lakes police said Friday that they consulted with the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and filed delinquency complaints in connection with the alleged threats against classmates last week at Ramapo High School.
The "multiple charges" against the underage teen will be heard behind closed doors by a judge in the Family Part of Superior Court in Hackensack.
There was "no immediate threat to staff or students present" when the alleged threats were made, Franklin Lakes Police Capt. Mark McCombs said Friday.
Officials at the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District also "took the threats very seriously and acted accordingly, utilizing school system resources to immediately address the situation by removing the student and providing the necessary resources for the student and the student’s family," Schools Supt. Rui Dionisio wrote in a letter to the community.
Authorities didn't discuss the nature of the threat, which allegedly involved a "hit list" of dozens of classmates at Ramapo High, which serves roughly 1,270 students from Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Wyckoff.
School officials ordinarily wouldn't notify the community under such circumstances, Dionisio noted. However, he said, social media posts made clarification necessary.
This had to be "balanced against what is permitted by privacy and confidentiality concerns to individual students," the superintendent emphasized.
"As parents, you can help us," Dionisio added. "Please speak to your child and encourage them to let a teacher or administrator know if a situation exists, which could ever place them and others in danger, and about the importance of school safety and acceptable behavior.
"While peer pressure is great at this age, we want to encourage students to feel comfortable reporting any information they may have that compromises their safety and the safety of others. Only by working together as a close-knit school community can we maintain an environment where students are free to focus on learning.
"As always, we welcome your comments and questions. Please do not hesitate to contact your building or child’s grade level administrator if you have any concerns."
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