Man Arrested at Ward Melville for Pushing Teacher

A 20-year-old man was arrested at Ward Melville High School Tuesday after he pushed a faculty member and refused to leave, police said.

According to Suffolk County police, Luis Romero, of Glen Head was arrested on Dec. 17 after gaining entry to the school around 1 p.m.

A statement was posted on the Three Village schools website from district superintendent Cheryl Pedisich on Thursday afternoon explaining the incident.  According to the statement Romero, a former student, was let into the building by another student, which Pedisich said in the statement was “a mistake”.

The student was recognized by a teacher and when approached, Romero became confrontational according to the statement. He was detained by school security and the police were called. 

In the statement, the superintendent said, “at no time was the safety of the students compromised.”

Police arrested and charged Romero with second-degree harassment, a violation and third-degree trespassing, a misdemeanor. Police said no one was hurt during the incident. 

On Dec. 11, a 23-year-old mentally ill man rushed past the greeter at Murphy Junior High School and was stopped by school personnel. No one was hurt in the incident.

Below is the district's statement.

Statement from Cheryl Pedisich, Superintendent of Schools

On Tuesday, December 17, Suffolk County Police responded to an incident at Ward Melville High School involving a former student and teacher. It was reported that the former student was let into the building by another student, which was a mistake. His presence in the building was immediately recognized by a teacher and when approached, the former student became  confrontational.  School security quickly detained the former student until he was turned over to police. At no time was the safety of students compromised. The safety and well-being of our students and staff is always paramount. The district has strict safety protocols in place and will reference this incident as a reminder to students about policies and procedures in allowing non-students into the building. 

This incident did not rise to the level of a school wide alert as it did not pose any imminent or ongoing danger, districtwide mobilization, or need for action by parents. The police were called because the individual was uncooperative and challenging to our authority. We are mindful of the need to provide ongoing communication to our parents, but we balance this with the imperative to not create unnecessary concern about inevitable conflicts that are handled expertly by our staff and local law enforcement.