WEST HARTFORD — Parents got an alert Wednesday morning that the Mandell Jewish Community Center at 335 Bloomfield Avenue was all-clear after an emailed threat was received.
Police said the emailed bomb threat came in overnight and that they were notified in the morning. They said they did a sweep and found the threat not to be credible. There were no evacuations and things were operating normally now, and according to police, nothing suspicious was found nor were there any arrests made. The case was referred to the FBI.
Security at the JCC and local synagogues has been increased after other recent threats.
Hebrew High School of New England in West Hartford, received a bomb threat February 27 and was one of at least 16 Jewish community centers and schools across the country to be threatened that day.
A bomb threat was called into the JCC of Greater New Haven in Woodbridge on January 31, prompting that building to be evacuated. The CEO of the JCC of Greater New Haven, Judy Diamondstein, said they haven’t received any threats today, unlike the West Hartford JCC.
The Mandell JCC was evacuated once before due to the threat on January 18.
JCC leaders said that increased staff will be on hand during morning drop-off to help with traffic and visitors.
A St. Louis man and former reporter was arrested last week for making some of the threats against Jewish community centers and other institutions that have been part of a surge of intimidation nationwide.
New York State Police’s Beau Duffy said, “No one has been arrested for making the nationwide robocall JCC threats.”
“That’s still an active FBI investigation,” he said.
