Montgomery County Police arrested a 16-year-old Whitman student at his home last Wednesday in connection with recent arson and threatening vandalism found at Bradley Hills Elementary School. Whitman also faced rumored threats of violence on Friday related to the suspect, leading to heightened security on campus and a low attendance rate.

On April 11, police reported graffiti at Bradley Hills mentioning the perpetrator of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting. In addition to the vandalism, Pete Piringer, the chief spokesperson for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, said the arrested student allegedly set a shed at Bradley Hills on fire as well in early April.

The suspect was charged as a juvenile with two counts of second-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning, malicious destruction of property, one count of altering physical evidence and threats of mass violence. 

Whitman sophomore Alexa Limansky, who previously attended Bradley Hills, said the situation has fueled concern within the community.

“I can’t even fathom how scared these little kids are,” Limansky said. “I couldn’t imagine that happening when I was that young.”

The news comes on the heels of violence at other high schools in Montgomery County. In February, a student at neighboring Wootton High shot another student in the school. Later that month, MCPD arrested another Wootton student for posting school shooting threats online. 

MCPS Chief of Schools Peter Moran said in a community letter that officials could provide limited information about the ongoing case at Whitman and Bradley Hills, but that the later posts on Friday were “low-level and unfounded.” He cautioned against rumors.

“It is also important to address the impact of misinformation,” Moran wrote. “A significant volume of speculation and unverified information, particularly on social media, circulated today, contributing to heightened fear and lower attendance.”

Reportedly linked to the suspect or his collaborators, the posts about Whitman that circulated Friday cited involvement with a larger, extremist group that targets teens and gradually encourages them to commit acts of increasing violence. According to the FBI, as of March 2026, the popularity of teen “Nihilistic Violent Extremist” groups and the frequency of other violent online activity have surged in the U.S.

Whitman sophomore Phoebe Rouse said the current climate and the possibility of the connection unsettled her. 

“I’ve heard rumors and saw a bunch of stuff that has to do with that group,” Rouse said. “It really scared me, because this is our school. I never thought anything would have happened like this in the Whitman community.”

In two community messages Friday, Principal Gregory Miller echoed Moran and wrote that MCPD had investigated and deemed the new threats unfounded, but as a precaution, the school was taking additional safety measures and canceling the spring pep rally originally scheduled for the day. 

“We continue to have both MCPS and MCPD personnel present on our school campus,” Miller wrote. “Today and in the days to come, there will be an increased presence of security and staff on our campus.”  

Whitman staff and students who were present estimated that as many as 75% of students may have been absent Friday. 

Whitman sophomore Sana Bolouri said she chose to stay home, despite academic obligations.

“I have to make up a lot of tests and talk to a lot of teachers,” Bolouri said, “but the shooting threat really scared me because this is life-threatening.”