Brentwood teen charged in social media threat, cops say

Suffolk County police on Sunday arrested a Brentwood teenager on a felony charge of making a terroristic threat against Brentwood High School's freshman center on social media, police said. 

The 16-year-old male, whose identity police did not release, made the online threat Sunday. It targeted the Leahy Avenue school on Monday, police said.

Police said officials from the Brentwood Union Free School District, as well as several parents, reported the threat to police. A police spokeswoman declined to describe the alleged threat.

Brentwood school district Superintendent Richard Loeschner in an emailed statement Sunday night confirmed that the threat was made by a student, but said he could not provide further details due to privacy laws. The district fully cooperated with Suffolk police, he wrote. 

Third Precinct Crime Section officers arrested the suspect without incident at about 5 p.m., police said. He was charged with making a terroristic threat and is scheduled to be held overnight before his arraignment Monday in Family Court in Central Islip. 

Loeschner in the statement, which was also sent out to parents Sunday, said the district's foremost priority is the "safety and well-being of our students, staff and community."

"As always, we encourage parents to continue to speak with their children about the district's Code of Conduct and the importance of appropriate behavior while using social media," he wrote. "I encourage parents to call me or the building principal if they have any questions about our safety procedures and protocols."

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com,keshia.clukey@newsday.com@NicoleFuller,

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.