A 16-year-old student was arrested at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens, after a threatening post on Instagram that indicated plans to attack the school, the NYPD reported. Found in the student's possession was a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol with 13 rounds in his backpack, guns which are rare items to find in a New York City school given the stringent laws surrounding firearm possession.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, cited by NBC New York, said today that the teen is charged as a minor with criminal weapons possession and making terroristic threats. Authorities, after getting consent from the student’s parents, searched the boy's home bedroom, where they found two additional 9mm bullets, matching the pistol that was lawfully purchased by a South Carolina permit holder in January.
In response to this incident, increased security measures were promptly installed at the school, including the addition of security scanners, Jessica Tisch stated. NYPD officers and school safety agents' presence have been amplified as a precautionary measure to protect students and staff. The school, which previously did not incorporate such high levels of security measures, will maintain these additions for an unspecified period.
The arrest came swiftly after the FBI found the disturbing post at around 10 a.m., and the NYPD arrived at the school slightly over an hour later, as per Tisch's details. The Instagram post contained an image of schoolwork with the message, "boutta shoot the school up." Swift coordination between federal agents and local police helped prevent a potentially serious incident. Mayor Eric Adams, in a statement shared by Gothamist, reflected on the gravity of the situation, saying, "This was a failure of a society that allowed a 16-year-old to get so close to shooting up a school and potentially killing classmates and teachers."
The investigation continues to be in motion as authorities work with a joint task force led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, alongside the Queens District Attorney's office, aiming to understand the full context of the incident and prevent future threats. At the time of the arrest, the student's motive remained unclear and the school had not reported any prior incidents concerning firearms in the past year.
