By Isabella Darcy
Managing Editor
Campus Police identified two individuals yesterday who were responsible for posting threatening messages on the social media platform Fizz Social Corp. The messages were posted anonymously on Tuesday to the campus community on Fizz, which can only be utilized by those who have a valid email associated with the College.
The threats, which were non-specific in nature, were deemed false as a result of an investigation conducted by Campus Police.
The first post
“To TCNJ students and on-campus jobs that have rejected me: I’m tired of the disrespect, the hate, and the doubt surrounding me. I’m tired of being overlooked and being ignored. All that stops today,” said the anonymous post on Fizz Tuesday morning.
Jordan Draper, assistant vice president for student affairs and Dean of Students, reported the post to Campus Police at around 11:20 a.m. on Tuesday. Draper also flagged the post on Fizz as being a violation of its community guidelines. It was later taken down.
Campus Police immediately submitted a subpoena to Fizz for “any and all contact and identifying information on the anonymous poster,” according to Campus Police records provided to The Signal.
Fizz responded to Campus Police’s requests late Tuesday afternoon with the email address and phone number associated with the account of the anonymous poster. With this information, Campus Police identified the name and residence of the person responsible.
Officers then conducted a welfare check on the individual, who admitted to making the posts. The poster, however, “denied having any plan or means for violence or any recent trigger that made [redacted] make that post,” according to Campus Police records. No weapons were found in the poster’s living space.
A second post follows
At around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Campus Police received numerous reports from students regarding another threatening message posted on Fizz. This message said, “I’m so done with college, I’ve been treated so badly all my life and I was hoping it would change. Nothing… My classes are horrible and I’m just so done. Everyone will pay Tommorow.”
The post was removed by Fizz within hours of being uploaded.
Campus Police again sent urgent requests for information to Fizz. The social media platform responded Wednesday with the email address associated with the anonymous post.
Officers once again identified the poster's name using the provided email, and then went to their living space to search for weapons and requested that they go to Campus Police headquarters for questioning. No weapons were found.
At Campus Police headquarters, the individual admitted to posting the threatening message Tuesday night. The individual said that while scrolling on Fizz Tuesday, they saw another post that was similar to the one they would go on to make.
The individual told Campus Police that they decided to make a similar post because they thought the post they saw was a joke. They also said they had no intention of harming themself or others.
Next steps
Chief of Campus Police Timothy Grant informed the campus community of both false threats on Wednesday through two emails: one in the morning when only one individual had been identified and another, almost five hours later, when the second individual had also been identified.
“Hoaxes or false reports of threats or violence will be investigated and carry severe consequences,” Grant said in both emails.
Any type of threat is a violation of the College’s Student Conduct Code under the personal abuse section. Because there are two posters and two possible violations of the Student Conduct Code, the Office of Student Conduct will evaluate each case separately and determine what happens next.
“What we’re looking at is what kind of harm was caused to the community or to an individual, and then how can we repair that harm as an institution through educational and, or punitive sanctions or consequences,” Draper told The Signal.
Concerns nationwide
Illegitimate threats to colleges and universities have been a concern on many campuses nationwide. At least a dozen institutions have received false reports of an active shooter on campus in the past week, according to The Washington Post. Such reports, which are categorized as hoaxes or swatting calls, were specific and designed to cause havoc. The Fizz posts were neither hoaxes nor swatting calls.
Nonetheless, the College and Campus Police take any and all threats to the campus community seriously. Campus Police encourages anyone who witnesses suspicious activity or threatening behavior to report it immediately, as such reports can help keep the campus safe.
“These being reported very quickly and by students in our community was really helpful,” Draper said. “It gave us the information we needed to act very quickly.”
If you become aware of suspicious behavior or information, please contact Campus Police immediately at 609-771-2345.
