Facebook Posts Thwart Students' Fake Pot Prank

Suspicious status updates on social media site Facebook led to a police investigation Tuesday and resulted in the suspension of three Hopatcong High School students as the school year draws to an end, Hopatcong Police said.

A parent noticed peculiar comments from a trio of the school’s students on Facebook Tuesday and reported them to Hopatcong High School Vice Principal David Piersen, Lt. Thomas Kmetz said.

Piersen then told the parent to notify police. The parent then went to police headquarters and showed Officer Barta the Facebook comments, Kmetz said.

On Tuesday, the following posts were seen on the site in reference to “senior prank day,” according to Kmetz.

Student: "We are going to jail"

The message contained names of two others “with” him, Kmetz said.

He then wrote:

“lmao dude I’m so excited for tomorrow lol”

One of the other students then went on to write:

“So pumped. Horrible idea, but its going to be intense. Tomorrow should be one of the worst days that the school has ever seen with EVERYTHING that’s going on. Just….. Game over”

Barta then contacted each of the student’s parents involved in the comments, Kmetz said. Each student handed over a shopping bag containing about 90 jewelers bags filled with oregano and Italian spices to appear as marijuana, Kmetz said.

The students planned to plant them throughout the high school as a prank, Kmetz said.

Hopatcong High School principal Noreen Lazariuk was contacted, and she suspended all three students, Kmetz said.

No criminal charges were filed as a result of the incident.

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