Stop Sharing Social Media School Threats, Just Report Them, Manchester Police Say

MANCHESTER, NJ — Manchester Township police are urging people to not share social media posts alleging school threats after an out-of-state post that was reshared locally sparked concerns Tuesday night.

Manchester police were contacted at 8:06 p.m. Tuesday regarding a Snapchat story shared within the Manchester community that alleged vague school threats, police said.

The investigation determined the post was not directed at Manchester Township's schools but was created out-of-state by someone who has no connection to Manchester's schools, police said.

"The post was reshared multiple times, eventually leading to a Manchester Township student reposting it out of concern," police said.

Manchester police notified law enforcement in the area where the suspect lives "and police action has been taken there," the department said.

Manchester Township Police and the administration in the Manchester Township Schools were in communication and police notified the district of the outcome of the investigation, "and reassured that there were no credible threats to any of the Manchester Township Schools," police said.

The school district notified parents and guardians of the result of the investigation by email on Wednesday.

"We are experiencing a nationwide trend of vague, unsubstantiated school threats being shared on TikTok and Snapchat," police said, urging people to not reshare such posts when they see them.

"If any residents have a concern about a post, they are encouraged to report it to the Manchester Township Police, instead of re-sharing it and causing further alarm in the community," the police department said.