(NORTH BELLMORE, N.Y.) – On Tuesday, Jan. 16, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder confirmed that, at 11:25 a.m., police received a 911 call claiming that “a male with a gun and possible shots fired at the Newbridge Road Elementary School”. However, following a full search of the school using multiple police department resources, it was determined to have been an unfounded emergency call as part of a swatting incident.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident – one which is part of a broader, disturbing trend wherein “swatters” issue warnings of hoax attacks to halt the functioning of vital community institutions like schools and houses of worship. According to the National Association of School Resource Officers, swatting incidents disrupt U.S. schools at least 30 times per week. On the local level, during Rosh Hashanah in 2023, five synagogues, including Temple Beth Am in Merrick, were targeted with false bomb threats.
Nassau County Legislator Seth I. Koslow (D – Merrick), who represents North Bellmore and Merrick, decried this alarming trend, and lauded the Nassau County Police Department for their diligence.
“These cowards who hide behind keyboards and telephones as they exploit fears of school shootings and antisemitism to wreak havoc on our society must be held accountable – especially when their callous acts tie up emergency resources that could be responding to real life-threatening incidents in our community,” Legislator Koslow said. “I commend Nassau PD for their swift and thorough response today, and I look forward to working with them and other community stakeholders to confront the disturbing rise of ‘swatting’ incidents moving forward.”