Barnegat Chief: No Threat Found In Recent School Investigation

BARNEGAT TOWNSHIP, NJ - Barnegat Police Chief Keith Germain said his department found no evidence of a recent threat or risk to students in the Barnegat School District.

Police investigated information on Thursday supplied by the school district about a parent who was concerned about a social media post that was more than a year old, Germain said in a post on the police department's Facebook page.

"That post, combined with a report of a vague comment overheard by a student, and the rumor of a book with student names in it led to a concern that prompted the school district to notify our agency-- something that we encourage and are glad was done," he said.

The investigation found there was no book, nothing in social media or an overheard statement that could be considered a threat or a risk,the chief said.

The department consulted with school administrators on Thursday and recommended the district notify parents that police were aware of the concern and were investigating, he said.

Germain acknowledged the lack of specifics can be frustrating, but said there are investigative and legal constraints police and the school district can release.

"Both the school and police administrations find ourselves in the catch 22 of either releasing information and being accused of unnecessarily alarming parents, or not releasing information and being accused of lack of transparency and trying to keep parents in the dark," he wrote on the post.

The police department will be as transparent as possible without jeopardizing an investigation, Gemain said.

"The alternative is to let speculation and misinformation fester," he said.

Germain praised the interactions between parents, the school and the police department.

"While these situations and notifications can be unnerving, I believe that they are a prime example of how working together and having open communication can maximize the safety of our children and community," he said.

Photo: Courtesy of Barnegat Police Department