Police say Fairfield student arrested for social media threat

FAIRFIELD, CT – Police say they have arrested a Fairfield School District student in connection with a threatening social media post made in early September.

On Sept. 13, the school district alerted some parents that students may be planning to meet at Assumption SeptemberFest “with the intent to engage in a physical altercation, based on information discovered through social media,” they said Officer.

Police, working with the FBI and the school district, immediately began investigating the threat.

Authorities determined the threat was not credible but nonetheless increased police presence at this weekend's annual event and developed a plan to monitor the situation.

According to police, investigators and the Fairfield Police School Security Unit had identified the author of the post by September 24.

“Evidence confirmed that the post came from a middle school-aged student in the Fairfield School District and was intended as a joke,” police said. “The student was subsequently arrested.”

Officials did not say whether the student would face criminal charges and said Fairfield Schools would follow its own disciplinary procedures.

Chief Robert Kalamaras said Fairfield police “will continue to utilize every resource at our disposal to ensure the safety of our community.”

“We understand that situations like this can be concerning, and we want to reassure the public that our officers acted quickly and thoroughly from the initial report to the conclusion of the investigation,” Kalamaras said in a statement. “We encourage students, parents and community members to remember that any involvement in creating or perpetuating these threats, regardless of original intent, can result in arrest and disciplinary action.” Schools and public spaces must remain safe havens for our children and residents .”

Police encouraged parents and guardians to talk to their children about the consequences of these posts and to monitor their children's social media activity.

“Anyone responsible or complicit in these activities – whether by creating, sharing, reposting or otherwise perpetuating threats of violence – will be held accountable by both law enforcement and the school district,” police said. “It is important to recognize that even those who do not initiate these threats but choose to participate in spreading or amplifying them face serious consequences.”

Online threats also recently occurred in school districts in Bridgeport and Westport, prompting Fairfield police to increase patrols at schools across the city.

On Sept. 19, Superintendent Michael Testani told families that “there are no known or actionable threats to Fairfield Public Schools.”