Reprint of a Daily Record Printed Article.
© 2004, NJ Daily Record

03/12/04 - By Zenaida Mendez, who can be reached at mendez@gannett.com or at (973) 989-0652

West Morris Central High has 90-minute lockdown

WASHINGTON TWP. - A report that a teen was assaulted outside of West Morris Central High School prompted a 90-minute lockdown at the school on Thursday morning, school officials said.

West Morris Central High School

At 10:27 a.m., police were told that an assault with a weapon had taken place on school grounds outside the building. The assailant allegedly approached a student, grabbed for the teen's backpack and brandished a knife, police said.

The alleged victim, a 14-year-old from Long Valley, dropped the backpack and ran to his home on Bartley Road, police said.

The school, which is part of the West Morris Regional High School District, is located on Bartley Road and serves students from Washington Township.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Principal Michael Reilly said the student was unharmed.

Once police received the information, they notified the school, which was locked down.

"Classroom doors were locked, lights were turned off, and students and staff placed themselves out of any line of vision," Reilly said.

"After approximately an hour and a half, the police assured us that a safety concern no longer existed and that we could resume our normal school day."

During the time the school was in lockdown, two Morris County K-9 units, as well as Chester Township and Mount Olive police, assisted Washington Township police with their unsuccessful search for the suspect, whom police describe as a white male, approximately 25 to 30 years of age, 5-feet, 11-inches tall, weighing 200 pounds and wearing a black skull cap, a long-sleeved black shirt and dark brown pants.

Washington Township Police Capt. William Gundersdorf said the incident remains under investigation.

When normal activity at the school resumed, Reilly said, a school administrator and a police officer visited each classroom to explain why the lockdown occurred, and to thank students and staff members for their cooperation.

"You try to get information into people's hands so rumors stop and you don't have needless anxieties develop," he said.

Article March 10, 2004