Hackettstown lock down lifted

UPDATE: As of 1:55 p.m. Centenary College has lifted their lock down. According to posts made to the microblogging site Twitter, the lock down has also been lifted at Hackettstown High School. HACKETTSTOWN — Centenary College in Hackettstown has been under lockdown since 10 a.m. this morning due to reports of a gunman near the campus. "The situation began when a man called the Warren County Communications Center about 9:45 a.m. and said he had an assault rifle in the woods beyond Hackettstown High School," said the college in a bulletin posted to their website. According to the bulletin, police are looking for a white male, in blue jeans and a dark sweatshirt, with an assault rifle. A NJ State Police helicopter was on the scene above Hackettstown. Hatchery Hill Elementary School and Hackettstown High School are also reported to be in lockdown. Students at the high school who called The Township Journal said that law enforcement personnel had surrounded the school and were on the roof. The students have been in lockdown for over three hours as of 1:30 p.m. “People have been peeing in classrooms in water bottles,” said student Taylor Stalter, before they were allowed to be escorted to the bathrooms. According to student Skylar Jones, the students were huddled in a corner of the classroom. “I’m just a little scared as to what’s going on,” said Taylor's mother Michelle Stalter. “We just don’t know what’s going on.” Michelle Stalter said that students were told to shut off their phones, which has caused even more alarm. She said she heard that the gunman is making threatening calls from a disposable phone to the police saying that he will shoot anyone who comes out of Hackettstown High School. However, the students that spoke with The Township Journal said they don’t feel that they’re in danger anymore. “At first we did,” said student Skylar Jones. However, after three hours of being in lockdown and the knowledge that the school is surrounded by police, they said they feel safe. The Township Journal has not been able to confirm that a gunman was seen at all by law enforcement personnel. Check back for updates on this developing story.