What to Know
- At least six Jewish Community Centers in New Jersey, NYC, Long Island and Westchester County got bomb threats Monday
- They were part of a nationwide wave of threats against JCCs
- There have been at least five such waves of bomb threats since the start of this year
Parents picking up their pre-school children at the Mid-Island Y JCC Tuesday were unsettled by the sight of Nassau County patrol cars outside -- but after Monday's bomb threat and evacuation, are also starting to realize it's the new reality.
Local officials on Long Island held a news conference Tuesday to say they're paying close attention to what's become a nationwide trend: nearly 100 Jewish Community Centers have been threatened so far, including more facilities in Westchester and Staten Island on Monday.
"We are aggressivley investigating this case," said Nassau Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter. "This will not be tolerated, and we'll do everything we can to bring the individual responsible for this to justice."
The FBI is also involved, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered an investigation into the bomb threats across New York State.
In Plainview, the JCC was back to life Tuesday, a day after someone called in a bomb threat, forcing 400 people to leave the building -- including 200 preschoolers.
"They think they went on a field trip yesterday. Some of them have said it was the worst field trip they've ever been on," said Ricky Lewis of the Mid-Island JCC. "But it's the way of the world today."
But parents of both Jewish and non-Jewish children say it needs to stop.
"It doesn't matter where your kids are from or what part of society your kids are from, it doesn't matter," said parent Jessica Hare. "They're children. Never mess with somebody's kids."
