Student in custody after investigation into bomb threats at 2 Mass. schools, superintendent says

METHUEN, Mass. — One student was taken into custody following an investigation into bomb threats that were made against two Massachusetts schools, officials said.

Methuen Public Schools Superintendent Brandi Kwong said Sunday in a letter to the Methuen Public Schools community that families, students, and staff had notified administrators of an image posted on a social media account making a bomb threat against Methuen High School on Monday.

The Methuen Police Department and Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council were then informed of the threat and a full sweep of the high school was conducted on Sunday night, according to Kwong.

In an announcement early Monday morning, Kwong said a high school student had been taken into custody in connection with the threat and that class would be in session as normal.

“We will have school today,” Kwong wrote in a statement. “The NEMLEC team completed a full sweep of MHS late evening/into the early morning and the building was cleared and deemed safe.”

The name of the student in question hasn’t been released and it wasn’t immediately clear if charges were being considered.

Some parents dropping their kids off at the high school on Monday morning said it makes them nervous.

“It’s getting crazy it’s terrible now what’s going on I mean with everything going on in Georgia and Maryland. As a parent, you just got to be vigilant now,” said Phil Colarisso. “I got to keep up on my kids on social media now too just make sure they’re okay with everything that’s going on.”

Other parents opted to keep their children home to be safe.

The threat against the high school comes after the Federal Bureau of Investigation notified Methuen police of a bomb threat made on social media against the Donald P. Timony Grammar School on Saturday.

An investigation into that threat revealed the social media account belonged to a student at the pre-K through grade 8 school, according to Methuen Police Chief Scott McNamara.

The threat against the Timony School was deemed not credible but out of an abundance of caution, Methuen police conducted a thorough sweep of the school with the assistance of the Methuen Fire Department, NEMLEC, and explosive detection K-9 teams from North Andover, Belmont, Watertown, and Amesbury.

Officers also searched the student’s home and didn’t find anything suspicious, police said. No charges have been filed in connection with the threat.

“These last 48 hours have been challenging and filled with various levels of emotions. Our efforts are always centered around the safety of our students and staff. We continue to make safety our priority,” Kwong added.

There will be extra patrols at all schools in the city on Monday.

Both incidents remain under investigation.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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