ERMA – Lower Township Police Department (LTPD) announced it has charged a 29-year-old Philadelphia woman for making a false report of an active shooter at Lower Cape May Regional High School.
Cape May County Dispatch received a phone call Jan. 23 reporting an active shooter at the high school, prompting an immediate multi-agency response.
After the Jan. 23 incident, Capt. Charles Ryan, of the LTPD, said active shooter protocols were swiftly activated by the school, law enforcement officers, as well as additional first responders.
Ultimately, the report was determined to be false. The police department has a school resource officer (SRO) at the high school, who was able to help assess the situation and determine there was no active shooter.
A follow-up investigation, coordinated with the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, led to the identification of the caller. The caller was not identified, police said, because mental illness was involved. The caller was charged with creating a false public alarm, a third-degree crime. Further action is being taken through the courts.
