HOWELL, NJ — Police in Howell are investigating another swatting incident after false threat calls forced schools in the township to shelter in place a day earlier. On Thursday, officers said a private day care facility received a similar phone call, and the department responded by increasing police presence at schools and child care sites across town.
Officials said the latest call was comparable to the reports that reached Howell Township public schools on Wednesday. Police have not identified the day care facility, and investigators said the threats are believed to be non-credible. They also said the calls were not confined to Howell, with similar incidents reported in neighboring jurisdictions and other towns in New Jersey and beyond.
Wednesday's school calls prompted a precautionary response across Howell
On Wednesday, multiple public schools in Howell received suspicious calls, according to police. Officers did not name the schools, but they stepped up their presence at all of them as a precaution while administrators and law enforcement assessed the threat.
The township’s response came as another New Jersey location also faced a swatting scare that same day. The Goddard School of Brick, which is next to two elementary schools in Brick Township, was targeted in what authorities described as a swatting incident. The overlap added to concern across the region as school officials and police tried to determine whether the calls represented a broader pattern.
Howell says there are no known threats to the public school community
By Thursday, Howell police said they had found no known threat to the township’s public school community. Even so, the department kept an increased police presence at schools and day cares throughout Howell while investigators continued to sort through the calls.
The police department said the investigation remains active, involving Howell police as well as other affected jurisdictions and agencies. Officials have not publicly said who made the calls or whether the incidents are linked, but they stressed that the reported threats were being treated as serious enough to trigger an immediate safety response even if they were not believed to be real.
Police say the calls were disruptive and drained resources
Police Chief John Storrow said the false calls create problems that go far beyond the immediate moment when a facility receives them. He said swatting is disruptive, dangerous and a drain on police resources, especially when officers have to respond quickly to schools and child care centers.
Storrow said the incidents create a ripple effect that can affect families, staff and first responders. Howell police said they remain committed to working with the Howell Board of Education and to protecting students and staff in the township, even as the department deals with repeated false alarms and the uncertainty they create.
Neighboring towns also reported similar false threats
Howell police said other facilities in neighboring jurisdictions also received calls Thursday, and officers noted that similar swatting reports were made in other New Jersey towns and in places outside the state. That wider pattern raised concerns that the calls were not isolated to one school district or one municipality.
Officials did not provide a count of the additional calls or identify every affected location. They did say, however, that the pattern was consistent enough to keep law enforcement in multiple communities on alert. The township’s public safety response reflects that broader uncertainty, with officers staying visible while investigators compare reports across jurisdictions.
Day care and school leaders remain under precautionary patrols
The added patrols are meant to reassure families and staff while investigators continue working the case. Howell police said the extra coverage includes both public schools and child care facilities, an effort intended to address the places most likely to be disrupted by a false threat call.
Authorities have not announced any arrests or named a suspect. For now, they are treating the calls as non-credible but still serious enough to merit continued attention, especially after two days of incidents affected schools and day care settings in Howell and nearby communities.
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