BPD: Boy, 13, charged with making school bomb threat

BETHLEHEM — A 13-year-old from Albany has been charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony, after, police say, a bomb threat was called into Bethlehem High School on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 2:38 p.m.

The juvenile, whose name is not being released, was also charged with second-degree harassment, a misdemeanor.

In September, the district had been wracked with unfounded threats that caused widespread anxiety and absenteeism.

No one has been arrested in those swatting incidents, which police determined were not local in origin.

The suspect in this swatting incident is not a suspect in the previous swatting cases in the school district, Bethlehem Police said in a Oct. 16 release.

The school was placed into a lockout / shelter-in-place status while members of the Bethlehem Police Department, along with a dog from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office trained to detect bombs, conducted a sweep of the school, the release said. No suspicious items or devices were located.

The juvenile was processed on the charges and released to his mother. He is scheduled to appear at Albany County Probation on Oct. 22.

 

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.