A reported bomb threat prompted the evacuation of Chestnut Ridge Middle School in Rockland County on Thursday afternoon, sending emergency crews rushing to the campus as authorities investigated. The school sits at 892 Chestnut Ridge Road in Chestnut Ridge, and the building was being cleared out even as officials worked to determine what, if anything, was behind the threat.
According to Daily Voice, emergency crews responded to the school Thursday afternoon, with the school building evacuated as authorities investigated the reported threat. The outlet cited The Monsey Scoop in reporting that Ramapo Police, the South Spring Valley Fire Department, the Monsey Fire Department and other emergency personnel all responded to the scene.
What We Still Don't Know
As of this report, there has been no official statement from Ramapo Police, the school or the East Ramapo Central School District confirming the nature or credibility of the threat. Daily Voice said it reached out to both the school and the Ramapo Police Department for more information, and the outlet described the situation as a developing story, meaning key details — including whether an all-clear has been issued — remain unconfirmed.
Chestnut Ridge Middle School is identified as a junior/middle school at the same Chestnut Ridge Road address in the East Ramapo Central School District's 2023-24 District Wide Safety Plan, a document dated March 21, 2023. That plan outlines how staff are supposed to respond to a bomb threat: notifying local law enforcement by calling 911, and having administrators announce an evacuation using a bullhorn or megaphone rather than the fire alarm, public-address system, portable radios or cell phones. The plan also lists a direct Ramapo Police contact number in addition to 911 for emergencies.
Part of a Wider Pattern of School Threats
Thursday's incident follows a string of similar scares at schools across the region this month. A bomb threat was reported at Garden City Middle School in Nassau County on October 19, prompting an evacuation there as well, according to News 12 Long Island. Earlier in the month, bomb threats triggered evacuations at three New York City schools, per a report from News 12 Bronx.
The pattern isn't confined to New York. In Texas, schools in Arlington were evacuated over bomb threats before authorities eventually gave an all-clear, according to CBS News Texas. None of those outcomes have been confirmed for the situation at Chestnut Ridge Middle School, where the response is still unfolding.
For now, families in Chestnut Ridge are left waiting on official word from Ramapo Police or the school district. Hoodline will update this story as more verified details become available.
