Middletown parents question response to school trespassing case

Come on. You got more than that. There you go. What should be a relaxing day off from school for Megan Keene and her two children is anything but after she says the online response from Middletown police to what she calls troubling social media posts from an individual visiting school properties is not enough. The Middletown police made a post and we were happy to read it until we read it and the last sentence was, though this is not a credible threat. A township man in his 20s known to police from a 2023 arrest was seen on the grounds of New Monmouth School two weeks ago and then at St. Mary's School. Videos and photos of him at the schools were followed by more posts showing screenshots of guns. Police released a statement on Monday saying they spoke with him and determined the posts were not threats. He was in the playground. The cops were called. I live right across the street there, close enough to even see the lights, and Middletown Police informed us that that also is an incredible threat. We have taken every measurable possible to safeguard the community, and the individual has been noticed that they're not permitted to enter upon those properties. But Megan says that response did not go far enough. I'm a nervous wreck. I don't want to even send them. 511 students to one armed officer as a parent. You certainly want to take every precaution possible. We worked seamlessly with both school systems to act immediately to protect the community. Moving forward, police tell me they are in constant communication with the school districts involved. They will be monitoring the individual social media accounts and most importantly, they are in touch with his family who to this point have been, according to the police, extremely cooperative. That's the latest here in Middletown Township, Monmouth County. I'm Jim Murdoch, News 12, New Jersey.