FBI tip leads NYPD to 16-year-old arrested with loaded gun inside school

A 16-year-old student at Benjamin Cardozo High School in New York City was arrested Thursday after posting online threats about carrying out a school shooting, officials said.

The Queens student was then found on campus with a loaded semiautomatic handgun, and the NYPD swept in, stopping a potential tragedy.

The FBI confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital that it had passed information on to the NYPD about the teenager’s plans and took swift action.

Mayor Eric Adams also praised law enforcement’s quick work, calling it “the perfect example of the system working properly.”

But he also warned that the incident highlights a deeper societal problem.

“We could’ve had a very different press conference today. There was a 16-year-old prepared to shoot people at his school,” Adams said. “Our young people are going down dangerous paths, and all of us must step in to guide them. They cannot be taken from us by bad influences online.”

Adams added, “We potentially saved the lives of a lot of students and staff today, and I don’t want to imagine a world where we would be making a different announcement right now. This is a real wake-up call for our city, for our country.”