Suspected Swatting Hoax Forced Brief Lockdown At Council Rock South

NORTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP, PA — Council Rock High School South was placed on lockdown for a short time Wednesday afternoon following an anonymous 911 threat made to Bucks County Emergency Services.

The anonymous call, suspected to be a swatting hoax, was placed at 1:42 p.m., according to an alert sent to the community by the Council Rock School District. The call drew a large law enforcement response to the Holland school from the Northampton Township Police Department, the Newtown Township Police Department and the school district.

After a thorough search, police determined that there was no credible threat. Once the police gave the all-clear, students were dismissed after a 34-minute lockdown, the district said.

Swatting incidents involve fraudulent emergency calls made to law enforcement, designed to trigger a significant police response to a false crisis. In this case, swatters placed an anonymous call, making it difficult for law enforcement to track them, district officials said..

"Lockdown drills are one of the emergency practices we regularly conduct with students," said Council Rock in a statement. "We applaud the students, staff, first responders, and administration for their handling of today’s lockdown."

The police are currently investigating the origin of the call. Counseling services will be available to students and staff in need.