CLIFTON, N.J. — Five fifth-graders in northern New Jersey were suspended after they were detained by police for allegedly plotting to attack a high school during a field trip.
The students from School 11 in Clifton were detained on Wednesday.
They brought a device allegedly filled with vinegar and cinnamon to school and were planning to use it during a field trip to Clifton High School, police said.
The device was later determined to be non-explosive, but Detective Sgt. Robert Bracken told NJ.com, “It was not a prank.”
Police told News 12-New Jersey someone else may have helped the students, who are 10 and 11 years old, come up with the plan.
The students were caught when teachers and administrators found written plans on how the alleged attack would occur, authorities said. The school then contacted police.
The students were released to their parents’ custody and were suspended.
No criminal charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing.
Police referred a call from the Associated Press to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office. A spokeswoman there said she would respond once she had information.