NJ police ask high school students to stop playing Senior Assassin

🔴 Students pair up in Senior Assassin to "assassinate" a target with a water gun

🔴 Holmdel police were called when a team was lurking around a yard

🔴 Districts say that the "current climate" makes the game dangerous to play

HOLMDEL — Police in a Monmouth County town are asking high school seniors to stop playing Senior Assassin after an incident at a home during the weekend.

The game is a traditional senior year event in many New Jersey high schools where students are assigned to “assassinate” another student using a water gun.

Participants sometimes will show up at the home of their targets awaiting an opportunity to take their shot. In some districts, participating students will pay to play to win cash prizes or money for charity.

And in some cases the game can go wrong.

Holmdel police were called to a home by a resident reporting two people on their property looking into the garage windows. It was determined they were playing Senior Assassin but were at the wrong address.

The recent increase in the number of stolen cars in Holmdel and heightened awareness of residents of unusual activity on their property led Holmdel police to ask

“While we know this game was intended to be harmless, and a rite of passage for senior students, the current climate warrants reconsideration,” police wrote on their Facebook page.

Warnings from other districts

Dawn Kaszuba, principal at Monmouth County's Ocean Township High School, stopped short of banning the game.  She told News 12 New Jersey that increases in random shootings make it unsafe for students who play the game while holding a weapon, wearing a mask and hiding in the bushes.

The game's rules are informal and set by individual student bodies. They usually prohibit playing the game on school property, a place of worship or a target's job.

Bridgewater-Raritan High School in March asked parents to discuss with their children the consequences of running or avoiding police while dressed to play the game.

"As always, student safety remains a top priority and this activity has the potential to cause unintended harm or consequences to the participants," the district said in a statement.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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