EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. (WGGB) — Police say the bomb threat today at Birchland Park Middle School in East Longmeadow appears to be a hoax.
Police received the call for an apparent bomb threat at the school at about 2:00 p.m.
Some buses and parents were at the school already because the incident occurred right near dismissal time.
Authorities say a “controlled evacuation” was conducted from the building and students went to those awaiting buses and parents.
The State Police Fire Marshal’s Office was then called in and with the help of a K-9 unit they performed a sweep of the entire building.
“Also police and fire, along with school administrators and staff did a thorough search of the building. They were used to help with the search because they were familiar with the building,” explains Manley who went on to say, “We did not turn up anything and so it’s been determined that the school is safe and the building has been turned back over to the school department.”
Police told us they have developed a suspect.
“Coinciding with the search, we continued to investigate and with the help of texted messages it was determined that this appears to be a hoax,” says Manley.
As part of their investigation police have been able to obtain a subpoena for phone records from Verizon in connection with this incident.
“We anticipate once we get those phone records it will help us determine the person or persons responsible,” adds Manley.
Birchland Park Middle School Principal, Kathleen Hill confirms that the middle school along with all the public schools there, will be open tomorrow as usual.
Good thing this didn’t happen yesterday during election time. This town at one time was a nice quiet bedroom community. Now we have bank robberies, home invasions, teachers abusing students, voter fraud, now a bomb threat.
Well the new selectman can get get both feet wet at the same time. Be interesting to see how this plays out and if found who did this what happens. I am sure it is some student playing a sick joke, that if caught will embarrass the family and any one else associated to him or her.
(The kids just want to start Christmas vacation a few days early, lol!!!)
Uh oh… we better outlaw the pen that wrote the threat!!!
wow
Uhm Northampton high also got evacuated.
OMG this is like the 4th time this week! I’m starting to wonder if someone is playing a real messed up joke just to see what happens!!!
Thank the media for all this bs
yup.. just keep broadcastinig this garbage and they are going to come out of the woodwork!!! STOP giving them the coverage!!!!!
They used to say “power to the people” but I’m sure this is not what they meant.
Things like bomb threats happen everywhere and are always some idiot kid pulling a prank and they rarely catch who did it.. this has been going on for years and years.. it is nothing new. But to keep sensationalizing it .. well they need to STOP doing that!!!
the town still is a good bedroom community.
@Megan, how long have lived in this town? This town has changed considerably, and not the quiet little town it once was.
Maybe the criminals are doing it to get the cops in one location so they can do something somewhere else and it will take longer for the police to arrive. . And who has a good bedroom for me? Lol
For the love of God when is this going to stop!!!!!!!
funny how the truth gets deleted…