Terrorist threats prompted evacuations at two Long Island schools and New York City police received more than 130 reports of suspicious packages Tuesday, the day after the deadly Boston Marathon bombings.
Nassau County police arrested a 16-year-old boy who posted a threat on his Facebook page to blow up Mesivta Ateres Yaakov School on Washington Avenue in Lawrence.
The threat was brought to the attention of the principal, who called 911. Police evacuated home on surrounding streets in addition to the school for two hours while the building was searched.
The student, whose name was not released, will be arraigned Wednesday at First District Court in Hempstead on charges of making a terrorist threat and harassment.
While that case was being investigated, an office employee at Unqua Elementary School on Unqua Road in Massapequa received a call from a man who made a terroristic threat against the school, police said.
Police searched the building during the evacuation and determined there were no explosives inside. That case remains under investigation.
The incidents occurred the same day the NYPD investigated a spike in suspicious items, including loose overheard light wires that reportedly forced the brief partial evacuation of LaGuardia Airport.
Detectives request anyone with information regarding this crime to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
