LAUDERDALE LAKES, FLA. (WSVN) - Classes have resumed at three schools in Lauderdale Lakes, Thursday, hours after they were evacuated in what authorities said is the third bomb threat in Broward County this week.
The three schools evacuated Thursday share the same complex: Boyd Anderson High School, Lauderdale Lakes Middle School and Oriole Elementary School.
Each school in the complex set up specific staging areas for their evacuations: Oriole Elementary students were evacuated to a field south of the school, Lauderdale Lakes Middle students went to the Westminster Academy Athletic Complex to the west of the school, and Boyd Anderson High students were taken to the school’s football field and bleachers.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the threat was called in through Crime Stoppers.
Thousands of students were removed while police investigated.
Boyd Anderson High is located at 3050 N.W. 41st St., while Lauderdale Lakes Middle is at 3911 N.W. 30th Ave. Oriole Elementary is at 3081 NW 39th St. in Fort Lauderdale.
Residents who live in apartment complexes nearby were unable to return home due to the threats.
“I’m upset, really. You got kids all over the place, you got people around here, you got neighbors,” said one man. “People just do weird stuff, you know? Just to scare people.”
The incident happens one day after students were evacuated from Florida Career College, also in Lauderdale Lakes, after, officials said, a bomb threat was called in through Crime Stoppers.
Those evacuations follow another bomb threat that, authorities said, was made at Westside Regional Hospital in Fort Lauderdale.
Surveillance cameras at the hospital captured a man who, officials believe, is the one who made the anonymous calls.
Parents arriving to the schools to pick up their kids on Thursday said they began to receive notifications that the bomb threat was unfounded.
Authorities gave the all clear just after 1 p.m.
Students who were not picked up by their parents were escorted back to class.
If you have any information about the mystery caller, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.