‘Credible threat of violence’ made against Morris County school

Two New Jersey high schools were on lockdown in Morris County on Friday morning. The only injury, however, was suffered by a student who panicked and jumped out of a window.

The threats at Morris County Vocational Technical School and Parsippany Hills High School came days after one student was killed and eight injured in a Colorado high school shooting.

Buses enroute from Parsippany to the Denville campus of the Morris County Vocational Technical School were detoured after the school was put on lockdown over a "credible threat of violence." The threat was noticed on Snapchat around 7:30 a.m., according to Morris County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Peggy Wright.

About 100 students, staff and faculty who were already in the building were placed on lockdown, according to Wright.

"They treated this as a completely credible threat," she said about the Special Emergency Response Team and a K9 unit.

Wright said a room-by-search of the building was conducted by police, which took nearly two hours to complete. The lockdown lifted around 10 a.m.

As word spread about the threat, Wright said parents began to arrive at the school and were sent to the nearby Powerzone Volleyball Center on Luger Road. Sheriff James Gannon and the schools superintendent met with parents and students at the school to update them on the situation.

The detoured bused were sent to Parsippany Hills High School, which also was placed on lockdown about 9 a.m. after a separate "perceived threat."

Police Sgt. Brian Conover told NorthJersey.com the threat stemmed from a statement made by a student.

One student cut themselves trying to jump out of a first floor window. They were treated on scene by emergency medical technicians.

It was the second day in a row threats were made against schools in North Jersey.

The Copeland Middle School in Rockaway was on lockdown on Thursday after a threat of a “concerning nature,” according to a message from superintendent James McLaughlin.

It started as a threat against a single individual but additional information caused concern that led to the lockdown. The threat was later deemed as “unfounded.”

The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement on Thursday night about a “potential threat” that had been made against Passaic High School in the afternoon. Additional police personnel were sent to the school but activity went on as normal.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ