A prank went terribly wrong for some New Jersey high school students when they were arrested for pissing in hallways, putting petroleum jelly on doorknobs and sticking hot dogs in to lockers. Officials arrested 62 students, early Thursday.
Police responded to a burglar alarm at Teaneck High School just before 2:30 in the morning. The authorities said the students tried to escape. However, they caught a majority of them. The officials saw the school was entirely vandalized with desks turned over, chairs broken, graffiti on the walls and balloons throughout the building.
"I've been a police officer 19 years, and this is the craziest thing I've ever seen," John Garland, Teaneck Police Sgt. said.
Police from over a dozen neighboring towns in addition to county law enforcement officers were called in to tackle the commotion. They used police dogs in their room-by-room capture of students.
"It is possible that a few got away," acting Police Chief Robert Carney told the Associated Press.
The students told the police that it was a senior prank that was a yearly tradition at the school that houses at least 1,300 students.
The arrest did not seem to bother some of the high schoolers as they were laughing as police took them in to custody. "If this was a senior class prank, I just don't believe that a lot of them realize the seriousness of it as far as breaking into the building," Garland said. "That's a burglary and I don't think they understand that. It's a very serious offense."
Of those arrested 24 are 18 year olds and face burglary and criminal mischief charges. "They're all in some pretty serious trouble," said Garland. Rest 38 were minors and were released to their parents.
Dennis Heck, principal of Teaneck High School told NBC 4 New York that school will remain open Thursday after the incident. "You can imagine how disappointed I am," he said.
According to Barbara Pinsak, Teaneck school superintendent, the district was planning on disciplining students. "The district continues to assess the situation and is considering the consequences that we'll impose on any students implicated," she said, adding that the school was cleaned up in time so that the classes were not interrupted.
Watch the after commotion video, courtesy NBC 4 New York:
