New Jersey students accused of disrupting school Wi-Fi to avoid exams

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
2 Secaucus students charged with disrupting school's WiFi to avoid taking exam
Students in Secaucus High School charged with disrupting schools WiFi to avoid taking exam.

SECAUCUS, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two New Jersey students are accused of successfully crashing their high school's Wi-Fi network on multiple occasions to get out of taking exams.

Police say the 14-year-old boys, who are freshmen at Secaucus High School, have been charged with computer criminal activity and conspiracy to commit computer criminal activity.

Authorities say they used an app or a computer program to compromise the network, and apparently took requests from other students to bring it down.

The Wi-Fi connection was down for several days, and students were unable to take any web-based exams or lessons since much of the curriculum is online, police said.

The boys' names have not been released. The charges stem from an investigation that began after school officials notified police last Thursday.

The high school has more than 600 students.

The students were charged and released to their parents.

Secaucus Schools Superintendent Jennifer Montesano says the school's Wi-Fi network has been restored and is now fully operational, but she declined further comment.

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