THROOP -- It was take two for a high school basketball game in Throop.
The game between Mid Valley and Holy Cross was halted Monday night due to a bomb threat posted by a Scranton Prep student on Twitter.
Some 800 people inside Mid Valley’s gymnasium were asked to leave after the post was brought to attention of police and school officials Monday night.
“Actually it was very organized. They did it very quietly. They said please keep an orderly fashion. It was superbly done,” said Karen Bogdanski, a Holy Cross parent.
The Twitter post reportedly said “If there’s Facebook or Twitter fight tonight over the H C M V game I will just blow up the schools and the students involved # Goon Squad”.
Torre Scrimalli, 18, a Scranton Prep senior, turned himself in to authorities and is charged with two counts of terroristic threats.
“I just want to say I’m very sorry,” Scrimalli told reporters. “I had no intentions on scaring anyone or bringing violence into this. It was supposed to be a harmless tweet, I realized what it was after I posted it and I tried to get it off as soon as I could but I guess it was just too late.”
“It’s just weird though, one simple tweet and then all of a sudden people everywhere are affected,” said Andrew Mies, a Holy Cross junior.
The tweet also prompted security sweeps at both Mid Valley and Holy Cross schools before the start of classes Tuesday.
School officials felt those at the basketball game would be safe. Still many said this should be warning about the dangers of social media.
“We try to put that out in our classes in our schools, when you write something on the internet and post something you have to realize it’s not how you’re posting but how people are going to perceive it as well,” said Mid Valley High School Principal Chad Vinanski.
“We have to take action over what may have seemed harmless to this person who sent out that tweet but may not have been,” said Karen Senkow, a Mid Valley parent. “There are a lot of people here that could have been potentially hurt.”
Scrimalli was released on $20,000 unsecured bail.
He is scheduled to be arraigned next week. If found guilty, he could face up to 14 years in prison.