Rumor Of Student With Gun Prompted Lockdown At High School In Union County: Cops

SPRINGFIELD, NJ — A rumor of a student bringing a gun to Jonathan Dayton High School prompted a lockdown on Friday, said Springfield Police Chief John Cook.

"The 'talk' of there being a firearm(s) in the school was completely unsubstantiated," said Cook.

Around 11 a.m. on Friday, Springfield Police officers immediately responded to Jonathan Dayton High School to investigate a report of a student possibly having brought a firearm to school.

Due to the nature of the situation, the school was placed on lockdown for the safety of all students and staff.

The lockdown was lifted around noon and the school was placed into a shelter-in-place as police continued to investigate.

An investigation, which included a thorough search of the school building with the assistance of the Union County Sheriff K9 Unit, found that no firearm(s) were involved, and the school was cleared to resume normal operations, said Cook.

The shelter-in-place was lifted at around 12:30 p.m.

"While no students or staff were injured during the incident, several medical situations occurred and were handled by the Springfield Fire Department and Springfield First Aid Squad whose personnel were staged at the scene," said Cook.

The Police Department thanked all agencies who helped with the incident as well as the parents/guardians of students who cooperated with law enforcement personnel to ensure there was no unnecessary interference with the investigation.

Anyone involved with this incident was spoken to by school staff and/or detectives, said Cook.

The school returned to classes on a delayed opening schedule.

"We are thankful for the support of the Springfield Police Department as we worked to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Our counseling staff is on-site to provide support for our students. The police will provide additional information," according to Springfield Public Schools.

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