police-lockdown-at-elmwood-park-memorial-high-school-result-of-clowning-around – NorthJersey.com

ELMWOOD PARK — Elmwood Park Memorial High School was locked down for about two hours Friday afternoon after a report that an intruder in a hooded sweatshirt had entered the building through a window, police said.
The call came in at about 12:30 p.m., said Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno, and the lockdown lasted until just before 2:30 p.m. It ended after police cleared the building, and officers found surveillance footage showing three students climbing in and out of windows in one part of the school, Foligno said.
Police found the three students, one of whom is 18, in their classrooms during the lockdown. They concluded that the students, whose names were not released, appeared to have “used bad judgment and were clowning around,” Foligno said.
“I don’t feel their intent was to illicit that response,” he said.
The students will not be charged with a crime, the chief said, although they may be disciplined by the school.
Officers from Garfield, Fairlawn, Saddle Brook, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office responded.
The school entered full lockdown, with lights off and shades drawn, as police interviewed the students who reported the intruder and began clearing the school. Surrounding departments, Foligno said, helped setup a one-block perimeter around the building.
Parents and the public weren’t immediately notified because the department didn’t want to give out “half-information” that would instill panic and force officers to deal with a crowd-control issue outside the school instead of focusing on the potential threat inside, Foligno said.
“We know stuff gets out there through social media … but until we exactly know 100 percent what we have, we’re not going to release anything,” Foligno said.
That didn’t stop some worried parents from gathering on Gilbert Avenue. Several said their children had contacted them from inside the school to tell them of the lockdown.
Email: janoski@northjersey.com

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