Hoboken High cleared, police say there is no threat; schools dismissed after lockdown

Last updated: 4:05 p.m. ET Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.

UPDATE 3:59 p.m.: Hoboken High School has been cleared and there is no threat, the Hoboken Police Department said. “Schools have been released for dismissal and police officers will remain in the area out of an abundance of caution. The surrounding roads will reopen shortly,” the department posted on X at 3:59 p.m. Police thanked the public for its “cooperation and patience.”

HOBOKEN — Hoboken police investigated a called-in potential threat in the area of Hoboken High School on Thursday afternoon, and three Hoboken schools were placed in lockdown as a precaution, according to the Hoboken Police Department and the City of Hoboken.

“Out of an abundance of caution, HHS, Brandt & Wallace are in lockdown. All students are being kept inside as a precaution,” the Hoboken Police Department posted on X at 2:11 p.m.

What officials said during the lockdown

• The threat: Police said they were investigating a called-in potential threat and asked residents to avoid the area of Hoboken High School, according to the department and a city Nixle alert sent at 2:02 p.m. At 3:59 p.m., police said the school had been cleared and there is no threat.
• The schools: Hoboken High School, Brandt Elementary School and Wallace Elementary School were placed in lockdown, and students were kept inside, police and the city said. Schools were released for dismissal after the all-clear, police said.
• The streets: Streets were closed from 7th Street to 10th Street and from Willow Avenue to Adams Street during the investigation, police said. At 3:59 p.m., police said the surrounding roads would reopen shortly.
• Police presence: Officers will remain in the area out of an abundance of caution, police said.

The city and police first asked the public to avoid the area around Hoboken High School shortly before 2 p.m. Those first posts, at 1:45 p.m. and 1:49 p.m., said no other schools were affected at that time. The city’s 2:02 p.m. alert said Brandt and Wallace elementary schools were also in lockdown as a precaution.

Police and city officials have not said what the threat was or who made it. Their alerts did not report any injuries or arrests.

In an emergency, call 911.

Graphic: Hudson TV, using the Hoboken Police Department patch from the department’s alert graphic.