Public schools in Montclair, NJ, were closed Monday after an elementary school teacher threatened his principal on social media, police said. Several hours later, the school district announced that the potential threat had been “neutralized.”
The teacher, Amir Doctry, was arrested in Philadelphia on Monday morning and charged with making terroristic threats, Montclair Police Department spokesman Lt. Terence Turner said.
Mr. Doctry, a teacher at Northeast Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave last week when he began showing signs of “erratic behavior,” Lt. Turner said. Mr. Doctry was in a “manic state” when he was arrested and taken to a Philadelphia hospital for a psychological evaluation, Lt. Turner added.
The Montclair Police Department said it is increasing patrols at all schools out of an abundance of caution. The department added that there is “no other risk” to Montclair, a township in Essex County, NJ, which is about a 20-mile drive from New York City.
Mr. Doctry is listed as a “long tenured teacher” on the school district’s website, but was not listed as a staff member on the Northeast Elementary School roster as of Monday afternoon.
A LinkedIn profile for a user by his name says he owns a business creating virtual reality classes for students and previously taught sixth graders in Montclair and students in Newark.
Shortly after the school district announced the school’s closure on Monday, parents began speculating that it was connected to a YouTube video of Mr. Doctrine. Lt. Turner confirmed the connection in an interview.
In the video, Mr. Doctry can be seen holding up a mail jacket and saying he thought he was going to be promoted to principal and planned to sew the title “superintendent” on the jacket once that happened.
“I am so confident that I will be the new superintendent of Montclair Public Schools,” he said.
He later added: “We need change. That’s what it’s all about,” before making a series of remarks about artificial intelligence.
The video’s long caption contained a series of profane, political and racist claims. It read in part: “Joe must die Montclair school shooting School shooting kills Dr. Joe Rashim Racist Joe is dead. He’s dying tonight.”
The principal of the school is listed as Dr. Joseph Putrino. Lt. Turner confirmed that Dr. Putrino, who did not respond to a request for comment, was the target of the threat.
Damen Cooper, the interim superintendent of Montclair Public Schools, had said in an email to parents early Monday that the district became aware of the potential threat late Sunday night and decided to close schools to be safe.
“I understand this last-minute closure may cause inconvenience, but the safety of students, staff and the entire school community is our highest priority,” the email said.
Several hours later, Mr. Cooper informed the community that the potential threat had been “neutralized,” thanks to a partnership with the Police Department.
Matthew Frankel, who has two children in the Montclair public schools, one of whom was taught by Mr. Doctry during the pandemic, said the news was a “shock to the system”.
“There was transparency in our community and I think in a time of crisis, that’s what we want as parents,” she said. “In terms of how we feel about this teacher, even with speculation about his mental state, I think the most important thing we can do is let the authorities do their job.”
