Saddle Brook Schools Locked Down Following Threat in Elmwood Park

Saddle Brook public schools were locked down Thursday morning for about 15 minutes following rumors out of Elmwood Park that a school shooting had occurred at Memorial High School, Deputy Chief Robert White said.

White said he was contacted by Saddle Brook High School principal Jim Sarto around 9:40 a.m. asking if he could substantiate rumors circulating about a possible school shooting in Elmwood Park that had locked down schools in that district.

White had not heard anything, but as a precautionary measure, Saddle Brook went into a lockdown following their phone conversation.

"It was precautionary on our end," White said. "I hated to do that...but in this day and age, you're better safe than sorry."

After his phone conversation with Sarto, White said he immediately reached out to Elmwood Park police and learned that the school shooting rumors were not credible.

"From what I understand there was a threat," said White, who added he's heard varying stories about the threat, but was assured there was not any immediate danger to Saddle Brook schools.

"There was no evidence of any dangerous weapons in [Elmwood Park High School] or any problem at the school," he said. "They went into a lockdown because of this threat."

NorthJersey.com reported that a threat targeting a specific student was left on the school's voicemail and prompted school lockdowns in Saddle Brook and Garfield, which both border Elmwood Park.

The lockdown was lifted around 10 a.m. in Saddle Brook, White said.

"Once I found out that there wasn’t a shooting, that there wasn’t a crime that took place or a shooting at the school in Elmwood Park, and that it was a threat, not an actual shooting, I called [Saddle Brook High School principal] Jim Sarto and called [superintendent] Dr. Fedina and they lifted the lockdown here."

White said he believed the lockdown was still in place in Elmwood Park, as police continue to investigate the matter.

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