The following email was sent to staff, parents and guardians on Monday, Oct. 28…

Dear BC parent/guardian: 

I am writing with an important update to the “swatting” phone threats that targeted the Bethlehem Central School District between September 10, 2024 and October 7, 2024. Thanks to the investigative work of the Bethlehem Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI), the person who is alleged to be responsible for these threats has been identified and arrested in Canada. 

The FBI and the Bethlehem Police Department held a press conference this afternoon regarding this development. I attended the press conference and can share the following details:

• The suspect is a juvenile who resides in Bridgewater, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Due to the suspect’s age, their name is not being released by law enforcement.
• The suspect was taken into custody by Canadian law enforcement authorities on Friday, Oct. 25 and charged with several Canadian charges that include Public Mischief, Uttering Threats, Fraudulent Use of a Computer, and Indecent Communications of Mischief. 
• The suspect has been remanded to a secure juvenile detention center in Canada.
• The suspect is alleged to have made 12 individual phone threats against Bethlehem Central School District between Tuesday, Sept. 10 and Monday, Oct. 7.
• The individual is allegedly a suspect in multiple swatting incidents across the United States and Canada.

We are grateful for the efforts of law enforcement and their diligence related to this case. This has been a difficult chapter for the entire BC community, however, because this is a police matter, the district will not comment further on this case.

Thank you to our students, faculty and staff, and families who have supported our schools, and one another, throughout this ordeal. I want to reassure each of you that the safety of our school community is and will continue to be our top priority.

Sincerely,

Jody Monroe

Superintendent