More than two dozen North Jersey schools were locked down or evacuated in response to a string of threatening phone calls Tuesday, officials said.
BERGEN COUNTY -- More than two dozen North Jersey schools were locked down or evacuated in response to a string of threatening phone calls Tuesday, officials said.
In Bergen County, 26 schools were impacted by the threatening messages, Sheriff Michael Saudino told reporters at a news conference in Hackensack. Some of the threats apparently came in an automated, computer-generated call, which was traced to Bakersfield, California.
Authorities said they searched schools in at least nine Bergen County towns and one in Passaic County, but found no explosives. The threats forced evacuations and school lockdowns, and prompted a large law enforcement response.
"The message, which was apparently recorded sometime throughout the night, indicated a nonspecific threat to the school district involving the placement of a bomb in one of the schools, as well as a secondary threat of a 'mass shooting,'" said Clifton police spokesman Detective Sgt. Robert Bracken. The purported attack was set for Tuesday, the message in Clifton claimed.
"There continues to be no credibility to these threats at this time, however, precautions are still being taken throughout the district in response to the situation," Bracken added in a statement Tuesday morning.
Students at Teaneck High School were moved to the town's community center while other districts -- including Leonia and Garfield -- blocked anyone from entering or leaving the schools as police responded.
Garfield Detective Capt. Darren Sucorowski said an overnight threat was left by voicemail at the city's high school. The message, he said, claimed bombs were planted in schools.
"Officers responded and secured all the schools within the school district," the captain added.
The response in Garfield also drew police from Lodi, Paramus, Passaic, Rochelle Park and Saddle Brook, authorities said. The threat was discovered around 8:20 a.m. and officials lifted the lockdown order around 12:45 p.m.
Leonia, Tenafly, Teaneck, Garfield, Fair Lawn, Hackensack, Englewood and Bergenfield schools received the threats, said Bergen County Sheriff's Office spokesman Anthony Cureton.
The threats in New Jersey appeared similar to others reported in Delaware and Massachusetts also on Tuesday.
Massachusetts State Police said schools in at least ten communities there received bomb threats, some by automated phone calls.
In Delaware, three schools received threats Tuesday morning. According to state police, "a robotic style or computer generated voice phone call was received in each of the school's offices," around 9:30 a.m.
Authorities have not said if the threats were related to those in New Jersey.
The incident was reminiscent of a wave of threats that targeted Bergen County schools and other government buildings in November 2014.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.