5 Fifth Graders Accused of Plotting to Set Off ‘Bomb’ at NJ High School: Report

Fifth graders are accused of plotting to bomb Clifton High School in New Jersey.
5 Fifth Graders Accused of Plotting to Set Off ‘Bomb’ at NJ High School: Report
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Jack Phillips
12/3/2015
Updated:
12/3/2015

Five elementary-school children are accused of concocting a plot to set of a bomb during another school’s assembly, it is being reported.

The fifth graders, aged 10 and 11, are students at Clifton Elementary School in New Jersey. Officials said the alleged plan wasn’t a prank.

According to the New York Daily News, police said the students were planning to “cause damage” by setting off an explosive device at at an assembly being held at Clifton High School on Wednesday. Police moved to arrest the students when they discovered their plans.

Authorities found a “device,” but there were no explosives inside.

The device, according to Clifton Police spokesman Robert Bracken, was filled with cinnamon and vinegar.

‘Not a prank’

“It was not a prank. They had a legitimate plan,” Bracken told PIX-11 TV.

“They didn’t have the right equipment, but the intent was there,” Bracken added to NorthJersey.com. “This is very disturbing,” he added.

The device was non-explosive, but the students thought that it was, investigators told CBS New York.

The students, four boys and a girl, were arrested and released home to their parents.

However, some of parents of students who attend the school said they didn’t get a notification about the so-called bomb plot.

“We got nothing, I found out on the news this morning and my mother-in-law calling me. Nothing, no phone calls, nothing,” parent Carrie Gould told CBS. “What kids think about hurting other kids and making bombs? It’s really upsetting.”

“Something this major going on, and you don’t inform the parents?” another mom added. “You’re going to inform me, when? When it’s too late?”

According to ABC-7, a robocall went out about the incident, as well as a text message that said that police had questioned students involved and found there was no danger.

“It’s very disturbing, you know times have changed and it’s a different life now but I guess we'll just have to cope with it,” parent Pedro Puertis was quoted by CBS as saying.

 

 

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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