Foreign exchange student accused of threat at STAC

BY ALEXANDRA KEZEK

Sparkill- Foreign exchange student Inigo Aldecoa-Tapia, has been charged after local police and campus safety accused him of a threat made to the college.

Aldecoa-Tapia, age 20, allegedly used the app “Yik Yak” to post an anonymous threat of a “massacre,” indicating he was in the planning stages. He has been charged with plotting a terrorist threat, second degree aggravated harassment, a misdemeanor and felony charge. He was arrested at 11 a.m. on Monday and was taken to Rockland County Jail on $10,000 bail.

Resident students woke up to an alert sent through email stating during the night of October 5, campus safety received information via social media that there would be a threat to the STAC community. It was also mentioned that law enforcement was assisting campus safety in the emergency operations.

On the morning of October 6, resident students were forced to depart from their buildings in order for Rockland County Sheriff’s bomb squad to observe and check on dorms for evidence and signs of threat. Upon their search, there were no signs of weapons or explosives in Aldecoa-Tapia’s dorm room. Based on the information received that morning, STAC carried on normal operations and there were no class cancellations.

Campus safety initiated the emergency operations accordingly and worked with other law enforcement. James Nawoichyk, director of Campus Safety, followed up with a sincere thanks to the people of the STAC community for their understanding and cooperation, as well as thanking Orangetown Police Department, The Rockland County Sheriff Department, the RCSD Bureau of Criminal Investigation Bomb and Explosive Detection Team, and the RCSD Computer Crimes Task Force.

Some students at STAC said the threat was probably a bad idea of a joke.