Belvidere High School Massacre Plot Foiled – New Jersey
March 6, 2008 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
It could have been one of the darkest days ever on record in New Jersey, perhaps even the nation. The potential harm, violence and death that could have resulted from it may have been staggering.
Authorities are investigating a group of four young adults and six juveniles allegedly involved in a wicked plan to shoot down students and teachers at Belvidere High School in June. The plot had reached the stages of mapping an escape route after the attack and the surveillance of school security officers.
One person has been charged in the ongoing investigation, which began this week after officials at Belvidere High School heard allegations that a 17-year-old senior male student was developing a hit list of students and teachers, State Police spokesman Capt. Al Della Fave said Wednesday night.
School officials notified Belvidere police, who soon got state police, the FBI and the region’s Joint Terrorism Task Force involved.
State police detectives Michael Lamonaco and Kenneth Koenig, working with officials from the other agencies, then began a more extensive investigation and spoke with nine of the student’s acquaintances, described by Della Fave as five juveniles and four adult males, all of whom live in or nearby White Township. Della Fave would not say whether any of them were also students.
“Investigators learned that the military-style plot was being developed, and that (those involved) had begun doing surveillance work at the school and were working to identify possible escape routes,” Della Fave said.
Della Fave credited teamwork of local, state and federal officials with foiling what he said could have been “a truly horrible” incident.
“This is an example of the partnerships we need to have, and why it’s important for people to report suspicious activity,” he said.
One person has been charged in the ongoing investigation, which began this week after officials at Belvidere High School heard allegations that a 17-year-old senior male student was developing a hit list of students and teachers, State Police spokesman Capt. Al Della Fave said Wednesday night.
School officials notified Belvidere police, who soon got state police, the FBI and the region’s Joint Terrorism Task Force involved.
State police detectives Michael Lamonaco and Kenneth Koenig, working with officials from the other agencies, then began a more extensive investigation and spoke with nine of the student’s acquaintances, described by Della Fave as five juveniles and four adult males, all of whom live in or nearby White Township. Della Fave would not say whether any of them were also students.
“Investigators learned that the military-style plot was being developed, and that (those involved) had begun doing surveillance work at the school and were working to identify possible escape routes,” Della Fave said.
Della Fave credited teamwork of local, state and federal officials with foiling what he said could have been “a truly horrible” incident.
“This is an example of the partnerships we need to have, and why it’s important for people to report suspicious activity,” he said.
