2 students arrested in separate incidents One arrested for yelling 'he has a gun' in hall, possession of box cutter BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer EDISON - Two township students were arrested and charged this week with possession of a weapon on school grounds at two separate schools last Wednesday and Friday, police said. Saul D. Jimenez, 18, was arrested at Edison High School at 11:05 a.m. on Friday after a teacher overheard the student yell, "He's got a gun," according to Edison Police Lt. Joseph Shannon. Jimenez, a junior, was allegedly heard uttering the phrase in the hallway in an attempt to "cause panic or alarm," according to a release from the Edison police. Police were immediately notified, and Jimenez was found to be in possession of a box cutter, an indictable offense. Jimenez was charged with one count of false public alarm and one count of possession of a weapon within an educational institution. Bail was set at $1,000. The incident on April 18 involved a 16-year-old male juvenile allegedly firing a pellet gun away from the rear of Benjamin Franklin School, Shannon said. Although school hours had officially ended by the time the male arrived at the school, there were still students inside the building, according to Schools Superintendent Carol Toth. Toth said that the students were working after class with a teacher and noticed the boy with the pellet gun. The teacher, Emil Ferlicchi, approached the boy and was immediately able to retrieve the weapon from him, according to Shannon. The juvenile was taken into custody after being questioned by police. He has been charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds. No one was hurt in either situation. Both Toth and the Edison Police Department have confirmed that a heightened police presence had been found in township schools after rumors of possible attacks, similar to those on the campus of Virginia Tech last week, were possible at an undisclosed Edison school. While the rumors were vague, Toth said that the district and the police were actively investigating all rumors and went so far as to search backpacks at Edison High School Thursday. According to the press release, there were reports of instant messages offering vague warnings of a possible "incident" at a district school on Friday, April 20, that surfaced around 9 p.m. Thursday evening. The message was vague and did not give a specific time or location. Police have said that they are investigating the instant messages. As of Thursday afternoon, Toth said none of the rumors had become fact, but that would not stop the district from being proactive. "We are checking out all rumors," Toth said. "Every rumor we heard has not been confirmed, but I'm not going to wait until after the fact." Toth could not speculate as to whether the issue involving Jimenez was the conclusion to the rumors heard throughout the week, but said that the school district and the Police Department had "a meeting of the minds" when it came to the school safety and thanked the department, calling its members "extremely helpful." Toth did say that she believed the incident at Virginia Tech probably played a part in the situations in Edison, as they appear to have in other communities throughout the state. Toth said she hopes the rumors stay just that, rumors. "Hopefully these are just rumors," Toth said. "Hopefully it is going to stay a rumor."