New Swatting In Howell A Day After Schools Sheltered In Place, Police Say

HOWELL, NJ — A day after swatting calls prompted shelter-in-place measures at Howell Township's schools, police say another swatting call targeted a facility in the township.

Thursday's incident involved a private day care facility, Howell police said. They did not name the facility but said the phone call received there was similar to the calls received at Howell schools on Wednesday.

"Additional calls were received by other facilities in neighboring jurisdictions," Howell police said. Similar calls were received in other towns in New Jersey and elsewhere, police said.

The Goddard School of Brick, which sits adjacent to two elementary schools in Brick Township, was a swatting target on Wednesday.

In Howell on Wednesday, multiple public schools received suspicious calls, police said. They did not specify which schools received the calls but increased police presence at all of them as a precaution.

"At this time there are no known threats to our public school community," Howell police said. "Investigation into these calls is ongoing by Howell Police as well as other affected jurisdictions and agencies."

The department increased police presence at schools and day cares throughout Howell on Thursday as a precaution, though the threats were believed to be non-credible.

Police Chief John Storrow said the swatting calls are frustrating because they cause a ripple effect of issues.

"They are disruptive and dangerous," Storrow said, "and they are a drain on our resources."

But the police department remains dedicated to its partnership with the Howell Board of Education and to the safety of the township's students and staff.