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RYE, N.Y. - Officials at the Rye City School District warned residents to be on high alert after one parent received a threatening phone call demanding money for the safe return of their children in a ruse that was ultimately determined to be a hoax by police.
Rye Police Commissioner Michael Corcoran told Daily Voice that the department had nothing further to report on the incident and that it "seems to be a hoax."
Earlier Wednesday, interim Rye City Schools Superintendent Brian Monahan sent an email alert to parents, warning them of the situation and reassuring them that all students were safe and in no immediate danger.
“One of our parents received a threatening phone call demanding money in exchange for the safe return of her children,” Monahan wrote in the email. “The parent wisely contacted the school and the authorities. It was quickly determined that the children were in school and were fine.”
Following the threatening phone call, school officials worked with police to investigate and confirm that the call was a one-off hoax. The call comes on the heels of several similar instances in the region, including multiple incidents in Connecticut last year.
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