After many school threat arrests, could NJ start shaming kids like in Fla.?

A new arrest in the latest online threat to a New Jersey school district follows a tumultuous first weeks of school in the Garden State.

There have been several threats in the past week including some that involved underage suspects, whose identities are protected under state law.

Sheriff loses patience with juveniles making threats

Online threats are not limited to New Jersey. Volusia County, Florida Sheriff Mike Chitwood on Florida's Atlantic Coast said he's tired of the hoaxes targeting students, disrupting schools and sapping law enforcement resources.

In social media posts, Chitwood warned parents that if their kids are arrested for making these threats, he'll make sure the public knows.

Chitwood carried through on the threat by highlighting the arrest of an 11-year-old boy who was taken into custody for allegedly threatening to carry out a school shooting at Creekside or Silver Sands Middle School in Volusia County. Chitwood posted the boy's full name and mugshot to Facebook.

A video shows officers letting the boy out of a squad car and leading him handcuffed into a secure facility, dressed in a blue flannel button-down shirt, black sweatpants and slip-on sandals. The boy's face is fully visible at multiple points in the video. New Jersey 101.5 has blurred his face.

Juvenile perp walks in Jersey?

Former Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Gramicioni said it's highly unlikely that New Jersey officials would follow Florida.

He said the purpose of a perp walk is to make an arrest very public and to make people think about committing the same crime.

"When it comes to juveniles, particularly young juveniles like 11-year-olds, juvenile records are protected, juvenile identities are protected, and they don't even call it an arrest per se in New Jersey. They don't go through the traditional criminal justice system. They go through juvenile delinquency proceedings," Gramicioni said.

Gramicioni said that a Florida sheriff has "outsized power" that exceeds those of a New Jersey sheriff.

If a public arrest involving a minor were captured by media, Gramicioni said he would go so far as to request the minor's face be blurred to protect the minor from long-term stigma.

Adult charged in latest disturbance

Most recently, Superintendent Allison Pessolano said a “concerning” phone call was made to the Upper Township school district after classes had started. Schools were put on a shelter-in-place status as buildings were checked.   The threat was found not to be credible.

State police Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron said the caller was identified as Danielle Egan, 28, of Corbin City. She was arrested at her home and charged with false public alarm, and released pending a future court date.

A "disturbing" video containing what police determined to be a "potential threat" to Franklin Township (Atlantic) schools Wednesday led to an immediate increase in police presence at the district's four schools around 8 a.m. as students were arriving for the day, according to a statement from Franklin Police Chief Matthew DeCesari.

Within a half hour of police learning of the threat, investigators tracked it to a student who lives in the Franklinville section. DeCesari said the student was taken to police headquarters and charged as a juvenile with causing a public alarm.

Concern in Stafford Township

Stafford Township police said a student was removed from Southern Regional High School on Tuesday after they received a call from "an individual expressing concern about a juvenile student and potential safety risks."

Police and school officials worried that the student's behavior posed "potential risks to the school," police said. Officers removed the student from the school in order to receive screening.

Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said a student was investigated after being overheard making a threatening statement about another classmate on Sept 6. inside Wanaque High School. Police questioned the student and a parent. No firearms were found inside their home and none were registered to the family, police said.

The threat was found to be "unsupported," according to Valdes.

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