Ogdensburg Free Academy lockdown follows arrest near State Street

Ogdensburg Free Academy was placed on lockdown Thursday, Oct. 15, after police arrested a 52-year-old Ogdensburg man accused of pointing what was later identified as a replica revolver BB gun at passing motorists on State Street. The lockdown was ordered because the school was near the police activity, and school resource officers secured the campus.

Police received numerous complaints at about 11:20 a.m., although reports differ by one minute on the time. The man was located and taken into custody without further incident. Police said the lockdown was a precaution and not prompted by an immediate danger inside the school. It ended at about 1 p.m.

The man was charged with four counts of second-degree menacing, as well as one count each of obstruction of governmental administration, criminal nuisance, disorderly conduct and a count under the Mental Hygiene Law. He was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Ogdensburg City Court.

Ogdensburg Free Academy was also locked down on Feb. 1, 2024, after a report of a person with a firearm on campus. No weapon was found in that incident, which occurred after the school day ended. That was a separate incident from the Oct. 15 lockdown.