Glouco teen charged over violent threats on Facebook

A Gloucester County teenager faces criminal charges after law enforcement authorities uncovered the true identity behind a phony Facebook profile where violent threats were posted against Clearview High School students and teachers.

After a three-month investigation, the 16-year-old junior at the Mullica Hill school was charged Sunday with creating a false public alarm, harassment, and related offenses for terrorizing others using the online social network to deliver disturbing messages beginning Oct. 8, said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton.

"This was an individual who was engaging in some pretty serious behavior online," Dalton said, noting that in addition to the disturbing comments, the teen exhibited antisocial behavior. "When you have those ingredients, who knows what direction he'll go?"

In addition to threatening to "blast" everyone in the school, the teen targeted specific students and teachers, enlisted others online to harass another student with racial epithets, and called in a bogus report Oct. 16 that a deranged gunman had killed several people at a local motel.

The name of the student was not released because of his age. At a news conference Monday at the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, Dalton, local law enforcement officials, and Clearview superintendent John Horchak III emphasized that such crimes, which create chaos, would be pursued.

"We certainly took safety precautions and immediately had a police presence," Horchak said.

Until police discovered who was making the threats, Horchak said, all the district could do was to take a "commonsense" approach. Police were stationed at the school's entrances; parents were notified; and staff members were trained in lockdown procedures, he said.

Dalton said that two others, who were not from New Jersey, were involved and that the investigation was continuing.

On Oct. 8, the teen created a fake Facebook profile as a transfer student at Clearview from outside the area. He threatened a shooting rampage and targeted specific students and teachers, authorities said. In addition, he used online chat rooms to conceal phone threats called into emergency dispatchers in Mantua Township.

"All those calls resulted in a police response," Dalton said.

On Oct. 16, the teen called 911 and reported that a gunman had shot and slashed several people at the Telford Inn on Route 45. Some people were dead, he said, and others were injured. There was a "massive response" as authorities from more than five jurisdictions flooded the area, closing down the normally busy highway shortly after 4 p.m.

On Oct. 18, Harrison Township police learned about the Clearview threats on Facebook and turned to the prosecutor's High-Tech Crime Unit for assistance.

The teen faces seven charges, including bias intimidation, disorderly conduct, and conspiracy.

Dalton said authorities were given permission by the teen's mother to search their home, where investigators confiscated a computer. The prosecutor would not say whether any weapons were recovered, whether the teen had any previous contact with police, or whether others would be charged.

The teen is scheduled for a hearing in Family Court, where a judge could order him detained in a juvenile facility or allow him to remain in his mother's custody. If the teen is allowed to return home, Dalton said, the prosecutor's office would request that he be prohibited from using the Internet.

The Clearview incident "created fear and apprehension on the part of students, parents, and school personnel, and triggered a significant police response," Dalton said. The Telford incident prompted "an emergent police response" that put officers and civilians at risk, he said.

"Individuals who engage in criminal behavior cannot hide behind their computer. They are not anonymous," Dalton said. "Their actions will be investigated until they are brought to justice."