Bomb Scare Prompts Woodmont School Evacuation

Writing on a bathroom wall at Woodmont Elementary School prompted a bomb scare and an evacuation of the school Wednesday morning while police and a bomb squad checked the building to be sure it was safe, police and school officials said.

No bomb was found.

Woodmont is the fifth Montville school to be affected by a bomb scare since March. No culprits have been identified, and police have described the scares as "copycat" incidents. A reward has been offered.

"It was a low-level type of threat where writing was found on a wall," Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried said of Wednesday's incident.

He said students and teachers handled the situation well, and thanked emergency officials who responded. Students were brought to a Pine Brook firehouse and then stayed outside on school grounds during the evacuation. They returned to the school around 12:20 p.m. and had lunch.

"We're certainly concerned and trying very carefully" to determine the people behind each of the incidents, Fried said. Anyone found responsible could face "very, very unpleasant consequences" from the school district and legal system, he said.

Woodmont School parent Margaret Gorski was among several parents who walked or drove by the school Wednesday after receiving a district notification about the scare. Gorski said the alerts always are alarming, but children are resilient.

Montville Police Capt. Rudy Appelmann said police responded after receiving a call about the threat from the school, and were assisted by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Morris County Sheriffs Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Morris County K-9 and the Morris County Sheriffs Bomb Squad.

After a sweep of the school property, the Morris County Bomb Squad investigated a bag in a garbage can along a baseball field, away from the school building and the playground area, and determined it was empty and safe, Appelmann said. The school building was checked by law enforcement and school officials and determined to be safe.

Montville Police continue to investigate all of the threats and encourage anyone with information to contact the police department at 973-257-4300.