Prank causes tense moments for anxious family members
[anvplayer video=”5170392″ station=”998132″]
Swatting is meant to be a prank, but for schools, parents and families it’s no joke. A NewsChannel 13 viewer sent video from their child at Troy High Thursday morning, police armed with rifles rushing inside.
It was a similarly scary situation at Maple Hill High School in East Greenbush, where Paul Szklenka’s daughter Abigail, is a junior.
“We had received a text from her, she was holed up in the locker room. She was scared,” said Szklenka.
“My wife came running in, and said the schools in lockdown so we both got in the car and drove up here as fast as we could. We saw the cops, and it really freaked us out.”
Parents stood nervously outside as students were locked down inside. Police did sweeps of the building and ushered kids out single file, flanked by police carrying rifles.
Swatting is meant to be a prank, but for schools, parents and families it's no joke.
When police confirmed that this was all part of a prank known as swatting, they let worried parents know.
Some students were visibly, understandably, shaken when they were able to reunite with their parents.
Others wondered why someone would cause this kind of fear and chaos.
“It’s kind of mind-boggling to see this stuff so close to home. I’ve been seeing this stuff all over the news, honestly, so it’s kind of mind-boggling,” said Dylen Chapman, whose grandmother works inside the school.