Pittsfield Student Arrested For Threatening to Blow Up School Bus

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A middle school student was arrested for allegedly threatening to blow up a school bus.

 

Police say shortly before 1 p.m. on Monday three calls were made by a 15-year-old to a School Department employee's cell phone saying, "I'm going to blow up 126 today." The "126" reference was the bus number the employee was assigned to work. 

 

At the time, the bus was in the School Bus Operations Center on Merrill road after completing the morning routes. Authorities worked with the School Department to remove all other buses from the yard and the Pittsfield Fire Department relocated the 126 to a remote and isolated location.

 

Just before 3 p.m. Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad finished an inspection and found no threat existed. The bus was placed back in service.

 

Pittsfield Police continued the investigation and identified the middle school student as a suspect. He was arrested and charged with a single count of threat concerning the location of a dangerous item. He was arraigned in Pittsfield Juvenile Court.