Naperville police notify FBI about wave of bomb threats targeting city schools

Naperville police are working with the FBI to investigate a threat against Naperville Central High School following a wave of more than a dozen similar incidents involving schools across the city.

The Naperville Police Department said its Emergency Communications Center received a call at around 7:38 p.m. Thursday from an unknown number. During the call, a “distorted voice” threatened a shooting and bombing at the high school at 8 a.m. on Friday. The telecommunicator tried to gather additional information from the caller, but “was met with resistance and hostility before the call was disconnected,” police said.

As a result of the threat, administrators made the decision to transition to an e-learning schedule on Friday.

Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Supt. Dan Bridges said in an an update the high school planned to proceed with its scheduled after-school and evening activities. Naperville police were expected to have an increased presence on campus during that time, he said.

According to Naperville police, more than a dozen similar threats targeting schools across the city have been reported within the past 10 days, as part of what the department called a “growing trend” across the nation.

Authorities said they notified the FBI and were coordinating with the agency on the investigations.

“These threats cause significant disruptions to our learning environments, divert substantial resources to investigate, and erode parents’, students’ and staff members’ confidence in their schools being safe environments.” the department said in a news release, in part. “The Naperville Police Department will not tolerate such threats and will not hesitate to seek felony charges against anyone found to be responsible for threatening our school communities.”