Second Riverhead H.S. student arrested after police investigate ‘threatening’ Instagram post

One day after a Riverhead High School student was arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat, a second student was arrested on the same charge for an incident involving an Instagram post that was threatening in nature, according to Riverhead Town police and the school district.

In a letter to district families, Superintendent Augustine Tornatore said a student Thursday reported the threatening Instagram post. Riverhead Town police were notified.

Police in a media release Thursday night said a 15-year-old student posted on Instagram: “IMMA Send SHOts flying at the school for XXXX” and “I HOPE I GET LOCKED UP SO I CAN SEE XXXX AND WE CAN BOTH BEAT THE CASE SO THEN BOTH OF US CAN BOOM THE SCHOOL.” A portion of the post was redacted to protect the identity of the juvenile arrested one day earlier, police said.

The student was arrested Thursday morning and charged with one count of making a terroristic threat. He was processed and transported to Nassau County Juvenile Detention Facility to be arraigned in Youth Court. Police searched the student’s home and no weapons were located. As was the case in Wednesday’s incident, an Extreme Risk Protection Order is pending.

Police responded to the high school shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday.

Mr. Tornatore said the high school administration is assisting with the investigation.

“I would like to assure all parents and students that all threats of this nature will be investigated thoroughly with police involvement and any students involved will face strict disciplinary action, as this is in direct violation of our district’s Code of Conduct,” the superintendent wrote. “Additionally, they may also face criminal charges.”

He said he would communicate additional information when it is available. He encouraged parents to speak to their children about the seriousness of making threats of any kind, whether they are verbal or through social media.

Several incidents of students facing criminal charges related to threats have been reported across Long Island in the last week amid escalating tension after the massacre in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

The Westhampton Beach Police Department reported Thursday that a 13-year-old student told other students and school officials that he was going to “shoot the school” because he was annoyed and frustrated with other students, according to a media release. The teenager was charged with making a terroristic threat and aggravated harassment and will appear in Family Court at a later date.

The teenager reportedly made a reference to the elementary school shooting and told other students and officials he was frustrated from being picked on and that it “was the only way to solve the problem,” according to Westhampton Beach police.

Students have also been arrested from Westbury and Bellport high schools in the last week for similar threats.

The charge of making a terroristic threat is a Class D felony.

Mr. Tornatore reiterated in the letter that the incident from Wednesday when a student was arrested was deemed a “non-credible threat.”

He encouraged any parents with questions to contact their child’s building principal or to share concerns anonymously through the district’s Share It app, which can be found on the district website.