Thousands of students at a Brooklyn high school are forced to evacuate due to a bomb threat
- New York police said Brooklyn Tech High School received bomb threat Thursday
- School officials said the threat came in via email just before school started
- Brooklyn Tech principal David Newman said school officials are in close contact with the NYPD and ‘will not reenter the building until they clear it’
- Photos of scene showed thousands of students walking to a park for evacuation
- The students were later send to Long Island University, a short distance away
- Police said they are currently investigating the threat against the high school
A high school in Brooklyn was forced to evacuate after receiving a bomb threat Thursday morning.
‘#HappeningNow This morning Brooklyn Tech High School received a bomb threat. All of the students have been evacuated and the investigation is still ongoing,’ the New York Police Department’s 88th Precinct tweeted shortly before 9am.
In a statement, Brooklyn Tech’s principal, David Newman, said the school ‘received a potential threat via email, which was immediately sent to the NYPD for a thorough investigation’.
‘This was before the start of the school day and any students and staff in the building were immediately and safely evacuated,’ the statement reads.
Newman said school officials are in close contact with the NYPD and ‘will not reenter the building until they clear it’.
A high school in Brooklyn was forced to evacuate after receiving a bomb threat Thursday morning. Students are seen walking out of Brooklyn Tech High School
Authorities (pictured at the scene) said school officials received the threat in an email just before school started for the teens
Photos of the scene showed thousands of students, faculty and staff pouring into Fort Greene Park during the evacuation
In a video shared on Twitter, students were seen walking toward the park while several police cars were parked outside the high school as police investigate the threat
New York police tweeted an advisory to New Yorkers to ‘avoid the area of Fort Greene Pl & Dekalb Ave in Brooklyn’.
‘Students were not permitted to enter the school as officers are on location investigating this incident. Expect emergency vehicles & increased traffic in the area,’ the NYPD said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio also tweeted about the incident, saying that the ‘NYPD are conducting a sweep of Brooklyn Tech after receiving a threat’.
‘We’re redirecting students and staff to nearby Long Island University in the interim. We will provide updates once we know more,’ the mayor said.
The students had reportedly been standing outside for nearly an hour before they were taken to Long Island University, a short walking distance away.
Photos of the scene showed thousands of students, faculty and staff pouring into Fort Greene Park during the evacuation.
Thousands of students, staffers and faculty members are seen walking toward the Fort Greene Park after the bomb threat on Thursday
The students were stranded for about an hour before they were allowed to head over to get warm at Long Island University (pictured in the auditorium), which is a short walking distance away
Brooklyn Tech High School (pictured) is the largest of New York’s specialized school’s with student enrollment at nearly 6,000
In a video shared on Twitter, students were seen walking toward the park while several police cars were parked outside the high school as police investigate the threat.
When the bomb squad arrived, officers were seen scanning the school for explosives.
A source told the New York Daily News that the email was specific enough to ‘warrant a search of the building’.
According to a teacher at the scene, the school has ‘had other bomb threats’.
‘They need some kind of app to notify teachers and students. That’s what’s causing such confusion,’ the teacher told the Daily News.
Brooklyn Tech High School is the largest of New York’s specialized school’s with student enrollment at nearly 6,000.