SAUGUS — Police on Wednesday afternoon responded to a “swatting incident” at Saugus High School after an unknown male called police claiming to have a firearm and said he intended to do harm to the school.
Police sent all available officers to the school after receiving the call at 1:09 p.m. Wednesday, and the school was immediately placed into lockdown, said Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli in a statement. Upon arrival, police searched both the building and grounds to ensure there were no unauthorized individuals on the campus.
Officers quickly determined the call was a hoax, one of more than a dozen hoax calls that have been made across the Commonwealth so far this week.
Classes at the high school resumed approximately 29 minutes after the lockdown was put into place.
“I am pleased by the quick and coordinated response that both Saugus Police and Saugus Public Schools had to this incident, and I’m relieved to report that the call was just a hoax,” said Ricciardelli in a statement. “We nevertheless responded in accordance with preestablished policies and procedures that we have rehearsed together before because the safety and security of students and staff in Saugus Public Schools is our top priority.”
Swatting is defined as the practice of “making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address,” the statement said, citing Oxford Language.
The incident remains under investigation by Saugus police. They are in communication with state and federal law enforcement, which are investigating a series of similar incidents targeting communities around the Commonwealth this week.
