Suffolk D.A.: Centereach teen charged in mass school shooting threat

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced on Dec. 20 that a 17-year-old juvenile was arrested stemming from an anonymous email threatening to “shoot up” Sequoya High School in Holtsville.

“Anyone thinking of sending an anonymous threat should be forewarned that with the technological abilities of the detectives from my office and the Suffolk County Police Department, we will find you and arrest you,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Unfortunately, under current state law, a mass shooting threat such as this cannot be prosecuted by my office and, as such, this juvenile will be referred to Family Court.”

According to the investigation, on December 13, 2023, an anonymous email was sent to school administrators of Sequoya High School threatening to shoot up the school and warning them to be prepared for bloodshed. As a result, the school was immediately locked down and an investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office was launched to ascertain the identity of the sender of the anonymous threat.

In conjunction with SCPD detectives, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office traced the email to a residence in Centereach, approximately 15 minutes from Sequoya High School. On December 16, 2023, SCPD officers responded to the residence of the 17-year-old juvenile who admitted to sending the threat saying, “I can’t believe you guys found out it was me.”

The juvenile was arrested and charged with Making a Threat of Mass Harm, a Class B misdemeanor, and because of his age, he was referred to Family Court for further adjudication. A search of the residence confirmed there were no firearms or weapons in the subject’s possession.

This investigation was handled by Assistant District Attorney Patrick E. Fedun of the Major Crime Bureau’s School Task Force with investigative assistance from Suffolk County Police Department Officer Eric Cox of the Fifth Precinct.