A Bucks County juvenile has been charged with making a fake 911 call about a threat at Council Rock High School South in October, leading to a 34-minute lockdown and a heavy police response. The incident was part of a wave of swatting incidents targeting US high schools and colleges this summer and fall.
Swatting is a hoax report to police intended to create a large-scale emergency response, often at schools and places of worship. In recent months, several high-profile swatting incidents have sparked outrage, with authorities urging caution as the threat of school shootings remains real for many students.
The juvenile was charged by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office, following an investigation led by Northampton Township Police, the DA's office, and the FBI. The charges were filed on Friday, but the DA's office refused to disclose details about the case due to its juvenile nature.
According to reports, the call was made on October 1 at 1:42 pm, prompting a lockdown at Council Rock South and sending police from multiple surrounding towns into action. Authorities eventually determined there was no credible threat, and students were sent home after receiving an all-clear from police.
"This type of criminal conduct is wholly unacceptable," said Bucks County DA Jennifer Schorn in a statement Friday. "We live in a society where the fear of school shootings is very real, and it's our job to protect our communities."
The incident highlights the ongoing problem of swatting incidents, which have been linked to online groups operating as part of decentralized networks that carry out false shooter reports and bomb scares for financial gain.
In response to these incidents, lawmakers in Pennsylvania are seeking new laws to hold perpetrators accountable. State Rep. Craig Williams introduced bills aimed at making swatting a felony offense, while Democratic Rep. Tim Briggs proposed a bill adding a sentencing enhancement to existing terroristic threats charges.
Williams' bills have stalled in the House Judiciary Committee, but he argues that Briggs' proposal falls short of addressing the issue directly. "To my mind, that comes nowhere close to treating seriously domestic terror during this dangerous moment in our nation," Williams said.
Swatting is a hoax report to police intended to create a large-scale emergency response, often at schools and places of worship. In recent months, several high-profile swatting incidents have sparked outrage, with authorities urging caution as the threat of school shootings remains real for many students.
The juvenile was charged by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office, following an investigation led by Northampton Township Police, the DA's office, and the FBI. The charges were filed on Friday, but the DA's office refused to disclose details about the case due to its juvenile nature.
According to reports, the call was made on October 1 at 1:42 pm, prompting a lockdown at Council Rock South and sending police from multiple surrounding towns into action. Authorities eventually determined there was no credible threat, and students were sent home after receiving an all-clear from police.
"This type of criminal conduct is wholly unacceptable," said Bucks County DA Jennifer Schorn in a statement Friday. "We live in a society where the fear of school shootings is very real, and it's our job to protect our communities."
The incident highlights the ongoing problem of swatting incidents, which have been linked to online groups operating as part of decentralized networks that carry out false shooter reports and bomb scares for financial gain.
In response to these incidents, lawmakers in Pennsylvania are seeking new laws to hold perpetrators accountable. State Rep. Craig Williams introduced bills aimed at making swatting a felony offense, while Democratic Rep. Tim Briggs proposed a bill adding a sentencing enhancement to existing terroristic threats charges.
Williams' bills have stalled in the House Judiciary Committee, but he argues that Briggs' proposal falls short of addressing the issue directly. "To my mind, that comes nowhere close to treating seriously domestic terror during this dangerous moment in our nation," Williams said.
I'm still trying to fume about this recent swatting incident at Council Rock High School South. Who does this kid think they are? 
Making a fake 911 call, causing all that commotion and stress for the students, teachers, and police officers. It's just ridiculous. And what really gets me is that it was probably done for some sick reason... financial gain or something 
. Like, who benefits from this kind of thing? 
.
. Maybe if we start cracking down on these perpetrators, we can reduce the frequency of these incidents and keep our schools safe 
. Fingers crossed 
.
You gotta wonder if our lawmakers are really taking these swatting incidents seriously enough 
. I mean, a 34-minute lockdown? That's crazy! And now we're talking about making it a felony offense 
. But is that enough? I think Rep. Craig Williams has a point - their bill stalling in the House Judiciary Committee just shows how ineffective our system can be 
.
. They're about our collective fear of school shootings, which is rooted in systemic issues like gun control 
. We need to address the root cause of this problem, not just slap on a new law and call it a day 
.
.
And now they're trying to make it a felony offense in PA? That's a good start, but like Rep. Williams said, more needs to be done to take domestic terror seriously 
.
, can't believe someone would do such a thing! They totally ruined it for everyone who was genuinely worried about their safety at school 
. It's like, what's the point of trying to scam people out of money or getting attention online? 
. And now we're stuck with lawmakers who can't agree on how to handle these incidents 
. We need stricter laws that actually penalize people for this kind of behavior 
. It's just so... immature.
a 16-year-old kid did this?! making people's lives so crazy for his own sick thrill... i can only imagine how scared all those students and teachers must've been 
. it's just unbelievable that someone would do something so reckless and thoughtless, like, what could they possibly gain from it? 
but we gotta be honest, swatting's become such a huge problem in the US, especially with school shootings still being a real threat... what can we do to prevent this?! 
! but at the same time, I'm like, yay justice was served and now he'll have to face the consequences 
It's crazy to think someone would do something like that for financial gain 
. These lawmakers are trying to pass new laws to stop this, and while I think it's about time, we need to do more as a community to educate our kids about online safety and how not to fall for these kinds of tricks 
.
. We can't keep playing catch-up on this stuff, we gotta get ahead of it 
.
: 457 reported hoax calls, 34 schools locked down, 200+ police units deployed 
. The cost of these false emergencies is staggering - think millions in wasted resources and trauma for students 
. In PA alone, 4 new laws are being proposed to tackle swatting 
. It's time we put a stop to these hoaxers and protect our schools 
... It's not just about one person making a prank call, it's about the fear and stress it causes others 
