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A 16-year-old student at Benjamin Cardozo High School in New York City was arrested Thursday after posting online threats about carrying out a school shooting, officials said.
The Queens student was then found on campus with a loaded semiautomatic handgun, and the NYPD swept in, stopping a potential tragedy.
The FBI confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital that it had passed information on to the NYPD about the teenager’s plans and took swift action.
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Outside Benjamin Cardozo High School (Google Maps)
“Earlier today the FBI informed the NYPD of a threat to life involving the Benjamin Cardozo High School in Queens,” the statement read.
“The NYPD deployed to the high school to address this potential threat, which led to a successful outcome. This swift response demonstrates the importance of close partnerships and the critical need for information-sharing to ensure our city and students are protected against unnecessary acts of violence.”
According to reports, Instagram moderators had alerted the FBI after the teen allegedly posted a photo online of a mannequin sketch with the caption, “TS GMT boutta shoot the school up.”
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Social media post of a student who was found with a gun on campus at Benjamin Cardozo High School, New York City. (NYPD)
Investigators traced the account to the student and alerted the NYPD.
Within hours, school safety officers and responding police located the teen inside the school with the firearm and multiple cell phones, including one locked inside a school-issued pouch.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch also confirmed in a press conference that the 10th grader had no prior criminal history but was carrying a loaded handgun when taken into custody without incident.
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Weapon found by NYPD with Benjamin Cardozo High School student in Queens, New York City (NYPD)
“I’ll be honest — as a mother of two young school-aged boys, I am shaken,” Tisch said.
“But as your police commissioner, I am resolute in ensuring that the NYPD does everything in our power to keep our children safe.”
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Mayor Eric Adams also praised law enforcement’s quick work, calling it “the perfect example of the system working properly.”
But he also warned that the incident highlights a deeper societal problem.
“We could’ve had a very different press conference today. There was a 16-year-old prepared to shoot people at his school,” Adams said. “Our young people are going down dangerous paths, and all of us must step in to guide them. They cannot be taken from us by bad influences online.”
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Adams added, “We potentially saved the lives of a lot of students and staff today, and I don’t want to imagine a world where we would be making a different announcement right now. This is a real wake-up call for our city, for our country.”