Copiague, NY – March 12, 2025 – A 12-year-old boy from Copiague Middle School on Long Island was arrested Monday morning after allegedly posting a threatening image of a gun on Instagram, sparking alarm among school officials and parents. Suffolk County Police charged the boy with making a threat of mass harm, a misdemeanor, following a swift investigation that determined the threat was not credible. The incident, which unfolded on March 10, 2025, underscores the growing concern over social media threats in schools nationwide.
The arrest occurred after school administrators contacted authorities at approximately 6:45 a.m., reporting a disturbing Instagram post by the student that featured a firearm. According to a Suffolk County Police news release, officers responded promptly to Copiague Middle School, located on Great Neck Road, and launched an investigation. “A 12-year-old boy posted a photo on Instagram that showed a gun,” police stated, prompting a 911 call from school officials who deemed it a potential threat of mass harm.
Following their inquiry, detectives searched the boy’s home but found no weapons, leading them to conclude the threat lacked credibility. Despite this, the boy was taken into custody and charged. Due to his age, his identity has not been released, and he is scheduled to be arraigned in Suffolk County Family Court at a later date. The school district also confirmed he will face disciplinary action under its code of conduct, which allows for suspension in cases involving threats or displays of what appears to be a weapon.
The incident disrupted the school day significantly. Copiague Middle School initially delayed classes before canceling them entirely as police conducted their investigation. In a statement shared with the school community, Superintendent Kathleen Bannon and district spokeswoman Deirdre Gilligan addressed the situation: “Classes at Copiague Middle School were first delayed, then canceled for the day while police investigated the threat.” The statement, reported by Newsday, emphasized the district’s commitment to safety but offered no further comment when pressed for an interview.
Local residents expressed a mix of shock and unease. Tyjia Carpenter, a Copiague parent whose daughter attends the middle school, told News 12 Long Island that his daughter called him in distress that morning: “She’s like, ‘We can’t go to school! There’s a threat at the school.’ We went by there. Security was outside. The cops were there. It was serious, man.” Another resident, Elijah Curtis, remarked to the same outlet, “I can’t believe something like that would happen in a typically quiet hamlet.”
This is not the first time Copiague schools have faced such incidents. In 2022, Newsday reported two separate, non-credible threats targeting the district—one against the middle school leading to a 13-year-old’s arrest, and another, a bomb threat, prompting a high school evacuation. These prior events highlight a recurring challenge for the community and its schools in addressing social media-driven threats.
The arrest comes amid heightened national sensitivity to school safety following a wave of threats and incidents across the United States. Just weeks ago, The Washington Post reported that nearly 500 students were arrested nationwide in the two weeks following a deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia on September 4, 2024, reflecting law enforcement’s zero-tolerance stance (The Washington Post, Feb. 3, 2025). Similarly, the Copiague case aligns with a pattern of swift police action seen in other Long Island incidents, such as the 2022 arrest of a 16-year-old Bellport High School student for an Instagram threat (NBC New York, May 27, 2022).
Posts on X reflected public awareness of the Copiague arrest, with
@News12LI tweeting on March 10, “SCHOOL THREAT: 12-year-old Copiague Middle School student charged with making threat of mass harm after posting photo with gun, police say,” accompanied by a link to their coverage. Another user, @DariusRadzius
, shared a 1010 WINS article on March 11, noting, “Boy, 12, arrested for threatening LI middle school on Instagram.”
Authorities and school officials have yet to disclose whether the gun in the Instagram photo was real or a replica, such as an airsoft gun—a detail that has surfaced in similar cases, like the 2022 arrest of an 18-year-old in Florida (Newsweek, May 30, 2022). Regardless, the incident has reignited discussions about the role of social media in amplifying perceived threats and the appropriate response to juvenile actions in a climate of heightened vigilance.
As the legal and disciplinary processes unfold, the Copiague community remains on edge, grappling with the balance between ensuring safety and addressing the behavior of a young student. For now, the boy’s fate rests with the courts and the school district, while parents and residents await further clarity on what drove the troubling post. 17GEN4.com
Sources:
Suffolk County Police news release, cited in Newsday, March 11, 2025
News 12 Long Island, “Police: Copiague MS student arrested for making threat of mass harm,” March 10, 2025
Newsday, “Copiague Middle School student charged with making threat,” March 11, 2025
1010 WINS, “Boy, 12, arrested for threatening LI middle school on Instagram,” March 11, 2025
The Washington Post, “Children joked about school shootings. Then the sheriff sent them to jail,” Feb. 3, 2025
NBC New York, “NY Student, 16, Arrested for Mass Shooting Threat at High School: Police,” May 27, 2022
Posts on X by
@News12LI
and
@DariusRadzius
, March 10-11, 2025
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