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Charles Banaciski III, 19, was seen on surveillance footage entering Montville Township High School around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said in a joint release on Friday.
Banaciski walked around the building donning a backpack before being discovered and questioned by a teacher, to whom he allegedly “claimed to be a student,” Carroll said.
After a few more questions, Banaciski left the school himself and drove off.
The school was then put under a shelter-in-place status until it was cleared by the Morris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.
Banaciski was later arrested at his home in Bloomfield and charged with unlicensed entry of a structure.
The investigation was ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Montville Police Department at 973-257-4300, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-6300, or Morris County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-743-7433.
Sound familiar? Rutgers graduate Hyejeong Shin, 29, of New Brunswick was charged on Tuesday, Jan. 24 after providing a false birth certificate and spending four days in classes at New Brunswick High School, DailyVoice previously reported.
Read Prosecutor Carroll’s full statement on the Montville Township High School incident below:
“Thanks to the diligent investigative work, a swift arrest was carried out by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Montville Township Police Department, and other law enforcement partners. I applaud our law enforcement officers, and especially thank the Montville High School employee who followed their gut instinct and questioned the suspicious individual.
During our recent memorandum of agreement signing and security summit, Morris County school administrators reaffirmed their commitment to the safety of our students and educators through collaboration. This swift arrest is the result of attentive staff and a rapid report to law enforcement.
May this incident be a reminder to the public that to keep our schools as secure as they can be, law enforcement also needs the assistance of vigilant members of the community. It is critical for the public to report any and all suspicious activity.”
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