SUNNYVALE — A 17-year-old Fremont High School student is in Juvenile Hall after he reportedly made hateful remarks against Jewish schoolmates on social media and forewarned a Columbine-style attack at the campus Tuesday, authorities said.
The purportedly anti-Semitic threats surfaced over the weekend and were reported to police Monday by parents and school officials. Detectives from the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety investigated the social-media messages and arrested the student suspected of sending them.
The suspect, whose name is being withheld because he is a minor, was booked into Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall. Police say a search of the suspect’s home did not yield any weapons that would suggest plans or his ability to carry out the threats.
“Right now we’re not aware of anything that would lead us to that,” said Sunnyvale Capt. Shawn Ahearn, “but we’re still following up on other things to make sure no stone is unturned. We’re still going through (the suspect’s) cellphone and computer.”
Ahearn said the suspect reportedly admitted to detectives that he posted the messages and that he was trying “to intimidate this group of kids,” adding that the teen “referenced Columbine,” the infamous 1999 mass shooting at a Colorado high school by two disgruntled students. They killed 12 students and one teacher.
The Fremont High student was booked on suspicion of hate-crime and criminal threats offenses. Ahearn declined to comment on remarks made Tuesday morning by Fremont High’s principal describing the threats as anti-Semitic in nature.
According to a multiple sources, the social-media moniker used by the suspect included the number “88,” which in certain contexts is used as a neo-Nazi symbol.
Police increased their presence on the Fremont High campus Tuesday and plan to do so for the rest of the week.
“It’s just to be safe and let people know we’re here for them,” Ahearn said.
Additionally, in a letter to parents, school administrators are offering counseling to students distressed by the incident.
“The safety of students and staff remains are our top priority. School counselors will be available to provide assistance to any students experiencing stress over this situation,” reads a statement from the Fremont Union High School District. “Please encourage your child to come and speak to our counseling staff if they express the need to talk to an adult about this situation and the emotions it has brought up for them.”
Seth Brysk, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, said instances like the alleged threats “are not regular occurrences but are happening with more and more frequency” heading into a November election characterized in part by contentious identity politics.
“We’ve seen an uptick in these kinds of incidents in and around the campaign,” Brysk said.
While acknowledging the case is still being investigated, Brysk said it was “disturbing there were minors on the receiving end of this.” He added that if the allegation is true, it is possible it is the result of influences on the suspect, and those influences can be neutralized with education.
“Assuming this was a minor who put out this message, it’s a message they’re hearing and repeating from elsewhere,” he said. “What we like to say in our anti-bias diversity programs at schools is that hate is something that is learned. And if it can be learned, it can be unlearned.”
Contact Robert Salonga at 408-920-5002. Follow him at Twitter.com/robertsalonga.
