By Julia Train
Federal authorities and South Jersey police are in the midst of an investigation involving a social media post allegedly made by a teacher from Egg Harbor Township High School that may suggest a threat against President Donald Trump.
The post was reportedly shared on Facebook by Fred Wilson, an 11th-grade special education and social studies teacher who has been with the district since 2003, under the name “Frederick Norby.”
It said, “I think we are at the moment where assassination is at least a talking point.”
Screenshots of the post were initially shared by the right-winged social media account known as “Libs of TikTok” on X. Two other conservative accounts, “Wake Up NJ” on TikTok and “Jersey Shore Emergency News” on Facebook, followed with similar content.
The screenshots include one of “Frederick Norby” updating his profile’s cover photo to a meme that said “f**k Trump and f**k you for voting for him,” alongside his profile picture that contained an upside down American flag. They were accompanied by a photo of Wilson wearing a T-shirt that says “I support trans rights because I’m not an idiot.”
The Egg Harbor Township Police Department received multiple reports about the post, and the investigation was swiftly referred to the U.S. Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president and other high-profile individuals.
Hazel Cerra, the resident agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Atlantic City office, confirmed that the agency was aware of the incident but did not provide further details due to policy restrictions, according to NJ Advance Media.
Wilson’s alleged Facebook account has since been removed, and its contents have raised questions about its authenticity.
Egg Harbor Township Police Captain Cherie Burgan cautioned the public not to jump to conclusions, noting that it is easy for people to manipulate online information, New Jersey 101.5 reported.
“Anybody can make anything look like anything these days,” Burgan said.
Egg Harbor Township School District Superintendent Kim Gruccio said the district is investigating the matter, according to The Press of Atlantic City.
“The district is aware of the social media post that is circulating from one of our high school teachers. We take comments about and suggestions of violence very seriously,” Gruccio said in an email. “The district is cooperating with law enforcement and is conducting an investigation; however, as this is a personnel matter under New Jersey law, I cannot comment further at this time.”
Wilson’s account has since been deleted.
It was unclear when the post was written and if the school still employs Wilson. His picture in the EHTHS staff directory is a rainbow heart with “ALLY” inside. NJ records show his salary is listed at $98,671.
