West Morris Central Cleared Thursday After Social Media Threat

LONG VALLEY, NJ — All students and staff of the West Morris Central High school were clear to return to the school after being evacuated from the building early Thursday, due to an undisclosed threat discovered on social media.

The high school's Principal Timothy Rymer contacted families in an alert, which was reposted to the Washington Township Police Department's Facebook Page around noon on Thursday, letting families know that students and staff were safe and they were waiting by the stadium bleachers until police gave them the go-ahead to go back in to the school. He told families that he would provide follow-up messaging "once the building has been cleared by law enforcement."

“We expect students to return to the building once it has been cleared by law enforcement,” was the first message from Rymer.

The police department posted an update on its social media at about 12:40 p.m. Thursday, indicating that responding officers had completed their investigation.

“The school has been deemed safe and will be returning to its regular schedule,” Washington Township Police wrote in its follow-up alert message.

The school's administration replied to an email request for more information from Patch at about 2 p.m. on Thursday; and declined to comment any further on the incident.

As of 5 p.m. on Thursday, the Washington Township Police Department had not responded to Patch's request for more information about the nature of the threat and if an investigation was still pending.

Washington Township Mayor Matt Murello discussed the evacuation with his social media followers, commending first responders for the quick response, commenting generally about the social media threat and offering advice to parents on talking to their kids about social media use:

"Hello parents. This afternoon there was an event at WMCHS that resulted in an evacuation of the school that lasted just under an hour. While there was never any danger for the students, I want to thank and commend the excellent work of the WMCHS staff & administration, the WTPD and other law enforcement officers and emergency personnel that responded. The students were safe and kept calm throughout the event. It is always better to be safe during a potential threat and the police and school did an excellent job communicating the situation to me and the parents throughout the event.

Many of you know that I am a parent of 2 kids in the HS and I talk to them about social media all the time. I want to ask please, to all my fellow parents, take the time to talk to your kids about their use of social media. Know what they are saying and to whom they are saying it to. Cyber bullying and making online threats have no place in in this town or anywhere. Events like today will always be treated seriously and can have real consequences. We should set an example for our kids on social media. - MM."

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.