Teen Arrested After Allegedly Threatening to Kill Jews at Queens Charter School

A 17-year-old student at the Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights was taken into custody for allegedly issuing murderous antisemitic threats to hundreds of classmates, authorities said Tuesday. Police are treating the incident as a hate crime.

Officers from the 115th Precinct responded to a 911 call shortly after 12:30 p.m. about a potential bias-related incident at the school located at 35-59 81st St. When they arrived, school officials informed them that one individual had sent antisemitic emails to more than 300 students.

A law enforcement source told QNS News the message included the statements, “At 2pm we will rise up and kill all the Jews in this school and the city.” The message appeared to come from a school email address associated with the student.

Police arrested the teen on campus and brought him to the 115th Precinct just before 3:30 p.m. Monday. He faces charges of making a terroristic threat and aggravated harassment as a hate crime. His arraignment in Queens Criminal Court was still pending as of Tuesday.

“I am relieved that no one was harmed and that the student is in custody,” State Sen. Jessica Ramos said in a statement posted to social media. “Our Jewish neighbors, students and families deserve safety, dignity and protection. We will continue working with school leaders and law enforcement to keep our community safe.”