Pleasantville man arrested for threatening Pinelands Regional students and school on Snapchat
A Pleasantville (Atlantic County) man who said that gang members were coming to "shoot up" Pinelands Regional High School in a Snapchat post has been arrested and charged with making Terroristic Threats, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced on Wednesday.
Pinelands Regional High School informed Little Egg Harbor Police on May 25 after hearing from student that "threats had been made against particular students - as well as the school itself - by an individual via the social media application Snapchat."
Little Egg Harbor Police were able to confirm the threat and see that the author of the post could be found under the username “Buddha Caserta” who in addition to making threats towards the school also allegedly sent two Snapchat messages threatening two students at the school with physical harm.
The investigation led police to identify 21-year old Frankie Caserta as the author of the post and on May 25 Little Egg Harbor Police and Pleasantville Police arrested him in connection with an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court in Burlington County on unrelated charges.
He was transported to the Burlington County Jail where he was lodged pending a detention hearing.
The next day, Little Egg Harbor Detectives and Pleasantville Police executed a search warrant at Caserta’s residence and seized multiple electronic devices.
"Although charges for terroristic threats were signed against Caserta on May 26th, the investigation remains active and ongoing and additional charges may be forthcoming," Prosecutor Billhimer explained in a statement.
On June 1, Caserta was released from the Burlington County Jail due to New Jersey's Bail Reform Law but was then brought to the Ocean County Jail, where he will stay pending a detention hearing with regard to the terroristic threats charges.
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