Superintendent: Drawings Of Weapons Led To New Jersey Student’s Arrest

By Jenn Bernstein, Steve Beck

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) – Every school in America is on edge this week, but behavior by a student at Cedar Creek High School Tuesday had school officials on alert.

The Superintendent of the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District said around 2 pm Tuesday, a 16 year old student demonstrated behavior that caused concern.

A teacher noticed drawings of what appeared to be weapons in his notebook. School officials made the decision to contact authorities.

Police removed the 16-year-old boy from Cedar Creek High School in Galloway Township Tuesday afternoon after school officials became concerned about his behavior.

The student was taken to the Galloway Township Police Department.

Police then searched the boy’s home on the 300 block of East Spencer Lane and found several electronic parts and several types of chemicals that when mixed together, could cause an explosion, police say.

The unidentified teen was charged with possession of a weapon an explosive device and the juvenile was placed in Harbor Fields.

The Superintendent, Dr. Steven Ciccariello put a phone message out to parents Wednesday morning.

“This is a perfect example of a teacher implementing her training. She saw drawings that appeared disturbing to her and alerted school officials,” he told Eyewitness News.

The New Jersey Education Association said teachers are now routinely trained to watch for these kinds of warning signs.

“Without the proper training, things can slip through the cracks,” said NJEA Spokesperson Kathy Coulibali, “If somebody feels insecure about whether or not is this really something that should be reported, we don’t want that kind of gray area.”

As a precaution, bomb-sniffing dogs swept the school, but nothing was found. Authorities say that students and teachers at the school were never in any danger nor were any threats made.

The student was placed in Haborfields Juvenile Detention Center.