Teacher arrested after threatening to close Montclair schools

Public schools in Montclair, New Jersey, were closed Monday after an elementary school teacher threatened his principal on social media, police said. Hours later, the school district announced that the potential threat had been “neutralized.”

The teacher, Amir Doctry, was arrested Monday morning in Philadelphia and charged with making terroristic threats, said a Montclair Police Department spokesman, Lt. Terence Turner.

Mr. Doctry, a teacher at Northeast Elementary School, was placed on administrative leave last week when he began showing signs of “erratic behavior,” Lt. Turner said. Mr. Doctry was in a “manic state” when he was apprehended and taken to a Philadelphia hospital for a psychological evaluation, Lt. Turner added.

The Montclair Police Department said it was increasing patrols around all schools out of an abundance of caution, adding that there was “no further danger” to the community.

Mr. Doctry is listed as a “long-term teacher” on the school district’s website, but he was not listed as a staff member in the Northeast Elementary School directory as of Monday afternoon.

The LinkedIn profile of a user with his name indicates that he owns a company focused on creating virtual reality courses for students and that he previously taught sixth graders in Montclair and students in Newark.