Disturbing video of a Roblox character shooting up a Manhattan high school sparked alarm this week – until the footage was finally removed from social media Friday.
The shocking clip – posted on TikTok – shows a character armed with a rifle storming through the halls of The High School of Art and Design on East 56th Street near Second Avenue and shooting people, including some in a lunchroom.
The NYPD said it was notified of the sick post on May 7 by a 60-year-old man who worked at the school.
The animated video was shared on the school’s Google account, the department said. The video remained live on TikTok as as late as Friday morning.
There was no active threat to the school, which was not evacuated, no injuries were reported and no arrests have been made, police said.
The school notified parents Thursday of the threat in a letter obtained by The Post.
“We will continue all regularly scheduled classes and activities inside of the school building today including after school activities,” the note said. “School safety agents, NYPD and staff will continue to monitor the situation and there will be an increased NYPD presence in the vicinity of the school until further notice.”
The NYPD will be present at the school until the end of the school year, the Post has learned.
“This week we became aware of a deeply concerning video circulating online,” the city’s Department of Education said in a statement. “The NYPD was immediately notified and conducted a thorough investigation, confirming the threat is non-credible. We are actively working to have the video removed and taking all appropriate steps to support the safety and security of our school community.”
The videos on both the school’s Google account and TikTok had in fact been removed by Friday afternoon, though it remained unclear who posted them.
Roblox said it is working with police in their investigation into the troubling video.
“We are investigating this troubling incident and are committed to fully supporting law enforcement in their investigation of this matter,” a spokesperson for the online gaming platform said. “Roblox Community Standards explicitly prohibit behavior or content on our platform that threatens others with real-world or online harm.”
TikTok did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
