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Cops: High School student arrested for threatening social media post

A Riverhead High School student was arrested after posting a threatening social media post Sunday, according to a police press release.

Police were notified shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday from a high school student that a fellow student had created a social media post that could be “construed as a threat against fellow students at the school,” police said. A post circulating on Facebook showed a screenshot from a Snapchat post that appeared to have a gun in it with text: “Excited for school tm….”

Police did not release the identify of the teen arrested due to the boy’s age. He was charged with one count of making a terroristic threat and was later released to the custody of a parent with a future court date, police said.

Riverhead school officials were notified of the incident, police said. Riverhead Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez issued a statement this morning saying that there is no current threat.

Police said they would not be releasing further information due to the age of the people involved.

Here’s the full statement from Ms. Henriquez:

Good morning. This is Dr. Aurelia Henriquez, superintendent of the Riverhead Central School District. As you are aware, last evening a threat was made via social media against our high school. A suspect was identified as a student and arrested by the Riverhead Town Police Department. While there is no current threat, we take all matters concerning the safety of our students and staff seriously. 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Riverhead Police for their quick and thorough response and for working so closely with the administration, as well as for the additional police presence at our buildings today. 

The health, safety and welfare of our students and staff are always our top priority. Please know that every precaution is taken on a daily basis to protect the safety of our students and staff and to provide a secure learning environment for all.

I would also ask that you please take this opportunity to speak with your children about the responsible use of social media.

Photo caption: A screenshot of the alleged Snapchat post that led to the arrest.