Bomb Threats Disrupt Marlboro Schools For Second Day Amid Investigation Of Teacher For Abuse

In a news release, the Marlboro Township School District said the FBI and other law enforcement agencies investigated the second emailed bomb threats on Friday, Apr. 19. All schools delayed the start of classes for two hours.

The school district said investigators determined the threat was "non-credible."

"Although we are dealing with another non-credible threat, the district takes any instance of this nature seriously and will continue to work closely with law enforcement to provide safety and security for the entire school community at all times," the district said.

All schools had been checked and cleared by police before students arrived. The district decided to continue with the plan to have a two-hour delayed opening.

Mayor Jonathan Hornik posted on Facebook, saying "all targets have been searched and cleared" by Marlboro police.

At 5:13 a.m., the Daily Voice was bcc'd on the first emailed threat, claiming bombs were at the addresses of the teacher under investigation, Mayor Hornik, school superintendent Michael Ballone, and the district's lawyer Marc Zitomer. The email's subject said, "We will kill you for your incompetence and tolerance of pedophilia."

At 5:32 a.m., the Daily Voice was bcc'd on a second email from the same account. The email claimed the person was at the mayor's house and was "about to kill him."

The second email also claimed bombs were placed at Marlboro Memorial Middle School, the school district's offices, town hall, the state Department of Education, and the Trenton Board Of Education offices. The Trenton Public School District said it evacuated its offices due to a bomb threat at around 7:39 a.m.

Trenton's building was reopened after a sweep by K9s at around 8:31 a.m. A similar threat briefly closed the central offices on Thursday, Apr. 18.

A bomb threat canceled classes for Marlboro schools on Thursday, Apr. 18. Daily Voice also received a hateful email in the morning saying bombs had been placed in various Marlboro schools.

The bomb threats started one day after the district said it was investigating a Marlboro Memorial Middle School teacher for sexually abusing a student. A mother spoke at a school board meeting on Tuesday, Apr. 16, and said her 13-year-old daughter was "molested" by the female teacher in a hallway.

In a letter to Marlboro families on Wednesday, Apr. 17, Ballone said the teacher was "immediately removed from her position" and the district was cooperating with investigators. Ballone also wrote that there was no evidence of other similar incidents happening in the district.

Marlboro's government said town hall opened as usual, and the township recreation and swim programs would be held as scheduled.

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