Mayhem erupted at a College Point school after two young students fired off pepper spray devices, injuring dozens, most of them classmates, on Friday afternoon.
The FDNY received a call reporting the pepper spray incident at around 12:46 p.m. in the cafeteria at MS 379 at 124-06 14th Ave. Firefighters and EMS personnel arrived on the scene at the College Point Collaborative School, where they found 26 patients needing medical attention. Nine were triaged on the scene by an FDNY medical doctor and did not require hospitalization, while eleven students were transported to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital. All had non-life-threatening injuries, the FDNY said. The children were treated for eye irritation, and all had difficulty breathing
Six refused medical attention at the scene.
“The safety of everyone in our school buildings is our absolute top priority,” Department of Education spokesperson Jenna Lyle said. “After a device was discharged in the cafeteria, the room was evacuated, and all students were evaluated by the school nurse and EMS.”
Police from the 109th Precinct took two girls, aged 12 and 13, into custody. No charges were filed, and the girls were released to their parents later in the afternoon. The investigation remains ongoing.
MS 379 is located at the site of the former St. Fidelis Grammar School, which closed its doors in 2013 due to dwindling enrollments and increased operating costs.
