WESTFIELD, N.J. — Westfield High School was placed on lockdown Monday morning following a false report of a shooting, according to a statement from Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro.
At approximately 9:53 a.m., the school received a call from an unidentified person claiming that two individuals had been shot inside the building. The school immediately contacted the Westfield Police Department and initiated a lockdown as a precaution.
The police department responded with all available patrol officers and detectives, securing the area and closing nearby roadways. Officers entered the school and conducted a thorough search of the premises.
After a methodical sweep of the building, authorities determined that the report was unfounded, and no one had been shot. “There is no concern for the safety and security of the school, its students, and/or staff, and normal school activities have resumed,” Chief Battiloro said in the statement.
The sole phone call reporting the shooting was later determined to be a maliciously false report and did not originate from inside the school.
An investigation into the source of the false report is ongoing.
