Nathaniel Sean Deleaon, a 19-year-old from Tulare, California, was caught by police after a string of dangerous “swatting” calls in Cumberland and Franklin Counties in Pennsylvania. This is a big step forward for the investigation.
“Swatting” means falsely reporting serious or violent crimes to get the police to respond more strongly than they should, usually with special units like SWAT teams.
Starting in June 2023, a disturbing cycle of events got worse until November 30, 2023, when Pennsylvania State Police, along with several local police departments, reacted to a bomb threat at Big Spring High School in West Pennsboro Township. Even though the school was cleared and students were let out early, no explosives were found on the grounds.
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The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) in Carlisle, the PSP Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) worked together to find Nathaniel Sean Deleaon as the person who made the bomb threat at Big Spring High School and many other swatting incidents in the area.
Government officials said Deleaon’s actions were part of a worrying routine of stalking and harassing a local underage student he had met online.
Law enforcement said Deleaon’s actions put lives in danger, including stalking, making terroristic threats, and harassing people.
These actions happened over months and required a lot of help from emergency services. His actions show how worried law enforcement agencies are about how dangerous and time-consuming swatting calls are.
Deleaon was arrested on December 22 after the FBI searched his home in California following a search request from Cumberland County. Deleon is currently in jail in California while he waits to be sent back to Pennsylvania to face charges linked to his disturbing swatting spree.
The arrest is a warning of how dangerous swatting can be and how important it is to stay alert and stop bad behavior that puts public safety at risk.