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Three schools in Lawrence receive bogus threatening calls (updated)

Three schools in Lawrence are the latest victims of a swatting hoax.The Ben Franklin Elementary School, Lawrenceville Elementary School, and the Lawrenceville School all received a threatening phone call Friday morning and the schools had to be evacuated.  At the other schools in the district, students and staff sheltered in place.
Ben Franklin Elementary School received a call from an unknown male reporting that there were six pipe bombs in the building. Officers were dispatched to the scene and the building was evacuated.  Another call was made to the Lawrenceville Elementary School and the caller said a man was headed to the school armed with a riffle. A final call was made to the Lawrenceville  School and the caller said bombs were placed on the campus

The Lawrence Township Police Department cleared the schools of all threats just before noon. All students and staff are accounted for and are safe, officials said. All after-school activities will continue as scheduled.

Police are still investigating the incidents. Swatting calls are often hard to trace because of the computer technology used by the callers. Some serial swatters have been caught and arrested.