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At 12:25 p.m. on Friday, March 11, South Brunswick police were notified about several students reporting eye and throat irritation following exposure to a chemical odor in a science classroom at the South Brunswick High School.
While students and staff evacuated the building, twelve additional police officers responded to maintain safety and security.
Fire departments from Monmouth Junction, Kendall Park, and Kingston responded to the scene with four trucks and a total of 23 firefighters. Fire personnel entered the building in full gear to evaluate the source and nature of the chemical irritant. Fire officials requested a response from the Middlesex County Hazardous Materials Team, who responded to the scene.
First Aid Squads from South Brunswick, Plainsboro, and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory responded with three ambulances and six EMTs. They evaluated the students complaining of eye and throat irritation, and provided support for fire operations and the HazMat Team.
After more than an hour of investigation, it was determined that the chemical irritant was pepper spray, police said The building was ventilated, and students and staff were allowed to re-enter the building.
An investigation by Detective Scott Bucca and school administration determined that a male student brought a canister of pepper spray to a classroom and was showing it to several other students. Another male student took the pepper spray and discharged it into two lab sinks, police said. The discharge caused other students to be exposed to the irritant, leading to the evacuation of the school and full-scale emergency response.
In total, 23 emergency vehicles and 46 first responders were involved in the incident, which lasted for an hour and 25 minutes, with the follow-up investigation lasting into late afternoon.
The two students involved in the incident have been charged with juvenile delinquency and released to their parents, police said.
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