The Mansfield Township Police Department, together with the Northern Burlington County Regional School District Administration, would like to update the community regarding the law enforcement investigation concerning the social media post reported to the Northern Burlington County Regional School District on Thursday, May 24th. The investigation revealed that this offensive post originated in another part of the country over 1,000 miles away and there is no indication that any students or other individuals associated with the school or our area were involved. The investigation has further revealed that the forum where this offensive post was posted is not limited to students, not controlled by the school, and open to anyone. We are confident the social media post represents no credible threat to the schools located in Mansfield Township.
Federal authorities have been notified and will be continuing the investigation. Racism, threats, criminal offenses, and disruptions to the school day will not be tolerated. When incidents of this nature occur, both law enforcement and school administrators benefit from the public’s assistance. The students who initially reported this to the Northern Burlington administration did the community a tremendous service. We strongly encourage individuals in the community who identify any concerning social media posts to immediately notify law enforcement and we continue to encourage students to notify school officials immediately. We recognize how concerning these situations are. To help reassure parents and students, there will be an increased police presence on campus Tuesday morning.
Lastly, we would like to thank the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police Cyber Crimes Unit for their assistance with the investigation.