North Shore Police, Schools Warn Against Playing 'Senior Assassin' Or 'Paranoia' Games

WINNETKA, IL —Along with warming weather and blooming flowers, the return of springtime in the Chicago suburbs has meant a resurgence of risky behavior by teenagers taking part in the traditional tournament known as "senior assassin," or "paranoia."

On the North Shore, police and school officials strongly discouraged teens from taking part in the battle royale-style elimination game, which involves teams of players using toy guns targeting other teens with foam projectiles or water.

Authorities are keen to clamp down on the concept, which they say has repeatedly led to real-world safety concerns and near-tragic misunderstandings.

Winnetka Police Department Deputy Chief Dylan Majcher said police were called about two incidents related to the "paranoia" game near Sheridan Road last weekend.

"We believe New Trier High School students are participating in this game," Majcher told Patch, "however, school officials do not condone it."

Amy Oliva, the security director for Township High School District 113, said playing the "senior assassin" game poses "significant safety risks" to students and staff at the district, which includes Deerfield and Highland Park high schools.

"Engaging in activities that involve simulated attacks may lead to serious or even tragic consequences," Oliva said. "Teens playing this game often take part in other unsafe behaviors in an attempt to evade or surprise others. "

Recent incidents in other Chicago area communities have highlighted the dangers associated with the game.

In Gurnee on April 9, students wearing ski masks entered a restaurant armed with water pistols that looked like real firearms, alarming patrons.

A licensed concealed-carry weapons holder in the restaurant "mistook the situation for a genuine threat, and the situation could have escalated quickly," Gurnee police said in a statement.

"The gravity of the situation cannot be emphasized enough," it said, "it had the potential to lead to serious consequences."

In Itasca on April 11, students playing the game were lucky to avoid injury after they were involved in a rollover car crash during a chase.

No one was seriously injured but everyone involved was issued citations, authorities said.

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"Other examples of Paranoia game behaviors we are aware of include students driving at high rates of speed in effort to 'shoot' their targets from moving vehicles, students hiding outside of homes — surprising and frightening families — and students walking through neighborhoods in all-black clothing carrying realistic-looking weapons," according to the Winnetka Police Department's warning to the community.

Last April, students with fake guns led to a lockdown at Joseph Sears School in Kenilworth, triggering an earlier warning from Winnetka police that "displaying toy weapons in public, especially near school property, can result in misunderstandings and have far-reaching consequences."

And two years ago, Northfield Police Chief Bill Lustig had just gotten back from the grocery store on a Saturday when he got a call from his watch commander alerting him they were on the way to his house. Police had gotten a call from Lustig's neighbor who had spotted someone with a gun in full camouflage running toward the chief's home, according to minutes from an April 2022 board meeting.

Officers drew their guns on a 17-year-old boy who had an altered Nerf gun with its orange tip painted black, making it look alarmingly like a real firearm, Lustig told village trustees, who encouraged residents to be aware that participants the game could be in their neighborhoods.

Lustig said he was grateful that the teen had not pointed the gun at police and complimented his officers for responding fast and not using excessive force.

Related:

• Police Respond To Calls Regarding 'Senior Assassins' Game
• School District Warns Families Of Dangerous Senior Prank
• 'Senior Assassin' Game Not Condoned, Supported: Arlington Heights PD