New Jersey Student in Critical Condition After Stabbing Leads to High School Lockdown, Another Student Arrested

One student is in critical condition and another is in custody after a stabbing at a New Jersey high school.

Shortly before 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 8, an officer assigned to Fort Lee High School issued an emergency radio call to local authorities to report a stabbing, according to a press release from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office obtained by PEOPLE.

The Fort Lee Police Department said in a news release that the officer was inside the school when the incident occurred and that the school was “immediately” placed on lockdown.

At the time of the incident, Superintendent Robert Kravitz sent a message to families letting them know that a stabbing had taken place “within the school building.”

The message, which was posted on Facebook by state Sen. Holly Schepisi, said that while there was “no immediate threat to the safety of our school community,” people were urged not to come to the school.

After officers arrived, a male student was found stabbed “multiple times,” the prosecutor’s office press release said.

“The Officer, along with the assistance of school staff, applied immediate first aid to the juvenile victim, who was soon after transported to an area hospital and survived,” the police department’s news release said.

The victim, whose name was not released, was listed in critical but stable condition, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The Fort Lee Police Department said that “the assailant, another student, was taken into custody.” The assailant’s name was not released but was identified as being 16-year-old in the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office’s press release.

According to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, an investigation showed that the suspect and the victim were in a “school restroom and engaged in an altercation when the suspect stabbed the victim several times with a knife.”

“The victim was stabbed in the neck, abdomen, back, and arm, causing serious injuries,” the press release said.

The suspect was placed in protective custody and charged with juvenile delinquency, specifically: first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, per the press release.

The juvenile was transferred to the custody of the Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center, pending a closed hearing in Bergen County Superior Court, Family Law Division.

While security protocol was lifted following an initial on-scene investigation, students received an early dismissal and the Fort Lee Police Department said: “Out of an abundance of caution, there will be an extra police presence in and around the High School tomorrow, however there is no further threat that we are aware of at this time, and no other suspects are being sought.”

The Fort Lee Board of Education (Fort Lee Public Schools) said on its website that school counselors will be available for any student or staff member in need of support after the incident.

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They also asked anyone with additional information about Tuesday’s event to contact the Fort Lee School District administration or law enforcement.