Threat against NYC schools being investigated as a hoax: NYPD

NEW YORK -- (KABC) -- The same morning Los Angeles received a threat against its schools and canceled classes for more than half a million students, New York City also was alerted to a threat against its schools but has deemed it not credible, authorities said Tuesday.

Commissioner William Bratton said a “specific but non-credible” threat was made against city schools and came in the form of an email. He said the email was “generic” and similar to messages received at school districts across the country, including in Los Angeles where the public schools were closed Tuesday.

“We have an investigation underway but it is an investigation into a hoax,” he told reporters.

Bratton speculated the person who sent the email — which came from overseas — may be a fan of the show “Homeland,” adding that the threat mirrored recent episodes of the series.

Mayor Bill de Blasio called the threat “so generic, so outlandish” and said it was “posed to numerous school districts simultaneously.”