Albany teen suspected of most recent threat, not previous string of swatting incidents
DELMAR—A 13-year-old juvenile from Albany has been charged in connection with a bomb threat made against Bethlehem Central High School on Tuesday, Oct. 15. The school was placed in lockout and shelter-in-place while law enforcement conducted a thorough search.
The Bethlehem Central School District received the threat via a phone call at 2:38 p.m., prompting an immediate response from the Bethlehem Police Department and the Albany County Sheriff’s Office. A bomb detection K-9 unit was deployed to sweep the school, but no suspicious devices or items were found.
Bethlehem Police detectives, working alongside the FBI, quickly identified and apprehended the suspect. The juvenile was charged with Making a Terroristic Threat, a Class D felony, and Aggravated Harassment in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor. After being processed on the charges, the juvenile was released to his mother and is scheduled to appear at Albany County Probation on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
Authorities have confirmed that the juvenile is not linked to other recent “swatting” incidents in the Bethlehem School District over the past month.