Mass. school locks down over threatening call

Hudson police are investigating an apparent swatting incident — prompted by a phone call that may have been AI-generated — that put Hudson High School on lockdown Wednesday morning, Police Chief Richard DiPersio said. 

Police responded to the high school around 7:55 a.m. after a caller reported that students inside the school were armed. The report was later determined to be unfounded, police said in a press release. 

The school was placed on lockdown and the building was cleared by police, officials said. 

“Initial evidence shows that the call may have been generated by artificial intelligence,” Hudson Public Schools said on Facebook. 

Hudson police will increase its presence on school grounds for the rest of the day as a precaution, DiPersio said. 

The incident is being investigated as swatting, a trend where people call emergency services to “to trigger the dispatch of a large number of police officers to a particular address,” the release said. 

“We understand that given the events of the past week, this may be a troubling incident for many members of our community,” said DiPersio. “The Hudson Police Department is committed to the security and safety of our community and schools.”