Two public schools in the Bronx were cleared this morning after police received separate reports of a "suspicious person" inside the buildings, authorities say.
Police say they received a call about a suspicious brown-bearded man believed to be in his 30s wearing khaki pants and a baseball cap at J.H.S. 162 on St. Ann's Avenue around 9:45 a.m. Friday.
The school was cleared, and the suspect fled shortly after the cops arrived, police said. The Department of Education says students and staff are safe.
"The safety of students and staff is our top priority. JHS 162 in the Bronx was placed on a temporary shelter-in this morning, and instruction resumed after the NYPD conducted a search and cleared the building," the agency said. "Students are safe and we will continue to monitor the situation."
Hours earlier, police say they got a call about an intruder at P.S. 186 on Jennings Street at about 5:15 a.m. Students were barred from entering the school as police searched the building.
After a "thorough search," the building was cleared, and students and staff were allowed to enter, according to a Department of Education spokeswoman.
