Hoboken (N.J.) Middle School lockdown lifted, police find no threat

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Hoboken police cleared Hoboken Middle School on Thursday afternoon and found no threat, lifting a lockdown that closed nearby streets, emptied Church Square Park and kept students at three other schools inside, according to city alerts.

“The Hoboken Police Department has cleared Hoboken Middle School (Demarest) and determined that there is no threat, following an earlier lockdown prompted by a reported potential threat,” the city said in a Nixle alert at 3:46 p.m. All students from the affected schools had been dismissed, and Church Square Park and all roads had reopened, the alert said.

What Happened

At about 2:07 p.m., the City of Hoboken posted that police were investigating “a reported potential threat” at the middle school and asked residents to avoid the area. Streets were closed from Fourth to Sixth streets and from Bloomfield to Garden streets.

Out of an abundance of caution, the city said, the A.J. Demarest building was placed in lockdown, while the Calabro School, the Hudson School and the Rue Building were put under shelter-in-place orders. Church Square Park was evacuated and all students were kept inside.

By about 2:19 p.m., the city said the closed streets had reopened. In a 2:35 p.m. update, the city said Hoboken Middle School would hold a controlled dismissal, the other schools were released to dismiss at their regular times, Church Square Park would stay closed until dismissal was complete, and officers would remain in the area.

What Officials Have Not Said

The city’s alerts did not say what the reported threat was, how it was made or received, or whether anyone has been identified or charged. No injuries were reported in the official alerts. Hudson TV will update this story if police release more information.

Sources

• City of Hoboken Nixle alerts, Oct. 29, 2026: “Update on ongoing police investigation” (2:35 p.m.) and “Hoboken Middle School cleared; Lockdown lifted” (3:46 p.m.).
• City of Hoboken and Hoboken Police Department posts on X, Oct. 29, 2026, 2:07 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
• Featured image: Hoboken Police Department alert graphic, in a Hudson TV card.