Three guns seized after a brawl at Paterson’s John F. Kennedy High School

Joe Malinconico
·2 min read
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PATERSON — Authorities seized three guns at John F. Kennedy High School on Friday and placed the building on lockdown after a brawl erupted in a first-floor hallway, officials said.

One of the guns was found on a student involved in the fight, which happened shortly before 11 a.m., officials said. Two other guns were confiscated from a student and a man who were standing across the street from the school when police converged on the scene.

Paterson Superintendent Eileen Shafer — who went to the scene — said the student who had the gun outside the school had tried to get inside the building during the fight but was barred from entering by security guards.

In this file photo, Paterson police stand outside John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson after it was put on lockdown Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021.
In this file photo, Paterson police stand outside John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson after it was put on lockdown Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021.

Three people were arrested on gun possession charges. None of the weapons was drawn or fired during the incident, officials said.

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Officials have not revealed what prompted the fight. In the past, disputes among Paterson’s street gangs have spilled into its schools. Police officials said they have not determined whether Friday’s incident had anything to do with the city's gang problem.

Shafer said the lockdown started at 11 a.m. and it became a shelter-in-place at 1 p.m.. The Paterson Police Department and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department would assist with Friday’s student dismissal at Kennedy and the city’s other high schools, Shafer said.

On Monday, Shafer said everyone entering Kennedy would be subjected to a security check. The school has metal detectors at its main entrance on Preakness Avenue. Officials did not immediately respond when asked if the metal detectors were working and in use on Friday.

"Thanks to the quick response by the off-duty officers at the school and the subsequent action taken by our patrol officers, a violent outcome has been prevented," Mayor Andre Sayegh said Friday.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: Guns seized after brawl at JFK High School