A false threat of a possible active shooter and bomb threat at Jensen Beach High School prompted a “massive” response by law enforcement on Tuesday.
During an afternoon news conference, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said a threatening 911 call to Stuart police was made just before noon.
“The caller stayed on the line for several minutes and said several different things: One was that there were several bombs that were planted here in Jensen Beach High School, and then another was that (in about) 15 minutes, an active shooting would begin here at Jensen Beach High School,” Budensiek said.
The sheriff said the threatening call prompted a school resource officer to lock down the school.
Simultaneously, the sheriff said shots from starter guns at a track and field event on campus fueled confusion at the school.
“(Students) heard shots that were fired. They believed they were real shots,” Budensiek said. “We know now that those shots came from the starter guns at a track and field event behind us. But the kids didn’t know that, so they did the right thing. They all locked themselves in rooms. The run, hide, fight kicked in. They locked themselves in rooms. A bunch of them were running out of the building, headed across to the businesses off of U.S. 1.”
The sheriff praised students and teachers for their actions.
“They were phenomenal. It was stressful for them. They truly believed that shots were being fired, but they followed their training,” Budensiek said. “They followed the things that had been instilled in their minds by a lot of them, locking themselves in closets, some of which were there for over an hour before they were allowed out by our SWAT team members.”
Budiensiek said the agencies that responded to the school included: Martin County deputies, Stuart Police Department, U.S. Marshals and the FBI.
According to a message sent by the school to families and staff, law enforcement searched the campus and determined the threat was not credible and all students were safe.
At about 1:45 p.m., Budensiek said law enforcement officers departed the school. An earlier lockout at the school was also lifted at about the same time.
“Thankfully, today was a false alarm. However, there were a lot of things that came into play today that were extremely concerning to us,” Budensiek said.
“EVERYONE … STARTED RUNNING”
WPTV spoke to Valentina Cervantes, 15, who said she hid in a closet with other students for more than an hour.
“Everyone really started running, and then it kicked in that this was serious,” Cervantes said. “We were all kinda of anxious cause we were waiting for different news, texting parents.”
Her mother, Christine Cervantes, spoke about the stressful nature of the situation.
“It’s a lot of anxiety. They are already under a lot of pressure, so it’s just terrible,” Christine Cervantes said.
Budensiek said they are now investigating who placed the call.
“Our analysts … are working on trying to track that back. If we can make an arrest, we absolutely will,” Budensiek said. “We are working with the FBI and other agencies to track back where this call originated from.”
The sheriff said a Martin County deputy was involved in a “significant crash” in Stuart while responding to the school, but Budensiek did not believe he sustained serious injuries.