Education
Teacher Is Arrested After Making Threat That Closed Montclair Schools
Public schools in Montclair, N.J., were closed on Monday after a teacher at an elementary school threatened its principal on social media, the police said. Several hours later, the school district announced that the potential threat had been “neutralized.”
The teacher, Amir Doctry, was arrested in Philadelphia on Monday morning and charged with making terroristic threats, a spokesman for the Montclair Police Department, Lt. Terence Turner, said.
Mr. Doctry, a teacher at Northeast Elementary School, was put on administrative leave last week when he started showing signs of “erratic behavior,” Lieutenant Turner said. Mr. Doctry was in a “manic state” when he was apprehended and taken to a Philadelphia hospital for a psychological evaluation, Lieutenant Turner added.
The Montclair Police Department said it was increasing patrols around all schools out of an abundance of caution. The department added that there was “no further danger” to Montclair, a township in Essex County, N.J., that is about 20 miles from New York City by car.
Mr. Doctry is listed as a “long-term teacher” on the school district’s website, but he was not listed as a staff member in the Northeast Elementary School’s directory as of Monday afternoon.
A LinkedIn profile for a user with his name says that he owns a business geared toward creating virtual-reality lessons for students and that he previously taught sixth-graders in Montclair and students in Newark.
Not long after the school district announced the school closure on Monday, parents began to speculate that it was connected to a YouTube video featuring Mr. Doctry. Lieutenant Turner confirmed the connection in an interview.
In the video, Mr. Doctry can be seen holding up a letterman jacket and saying that he believed he would be promoted to school superintendent and planned to get the title “superintendent” stitched onto the jacket once that happened.
“That is how confident I am that I am going to be the new superintendent of Montclair Public Schools,” he said.
He later added: “We need change. That is the whole point,” before making a series of remarks about artificial intelligence.
The video’s lengthy caption contained a string of profane, political and racist assertions. It read, in part: “Joe must die school shooting Montclair school shooting kills Dr. Joe Racsim Racist Joe is dead. He dies tonight.”
The school’s principal is listed as Dr. Joseph Putrino. Lieutenant Turner confirmed that Dr. Putrino, who did not respond to a request for comment, was the target of the threat.
Damen Cooper, the interim superintendent of Montclair Public Schools, had said in an email to parents early Monday that the district became aware of the potential threat late Sunday night and had decided to close schools to be safe.
“I understand that this last-minute closure may cause inconvenience, but the safety of our students, staff, and entire school community is our highest priority,” the email said.
Several hours later, Mr. Cooper advised the community that the potential threat had been “neutralized,” thanks to a collaboration with the Police Department.
Matthew Frankel, who has two children in Montclair public schools, one of whom was tutored by Mr. Doctry during the pandemic, said the news had been a “shock to the system.”
“There was transparency within our community, and I think in a moment of crisis, that’s what we want as parents,” he said. “In terms of how we feel about this teacher, and even speculating on his mental state, I think the most important thing that we can do is to let the authorities do their job.”
In our national memory, George Washington is a mythic figure, cast in metal, carved in stone. His leadership, first as general, then as president, is so intertwined with the roots of this country that it is sometimes hard to separate the man from the idea of America. How does one imagine the living presence of such an icon, much less embody him?
There is a small fraternity of men bold enough to try. At historical parks and commemorations from Virginia to Seattle, these interpreters (their preferred term) transform themselves into Washington. Each has his own approach, but what all their representations seek to capture is a legacy that has endured from his time to ours. If America, at least in part, is an idea, then our national project becomes, like theirs, an act of interpretation, an imperfect attempt to translate some idealized vision into the messy reality of our own time.
— Ezekiel Kweku
“By some strange quirk
of genetics, I have
Washington’s exact
dimensions. Where my
sleeves fall on my wrist,
the size of my chest, the
size of my thighs, where
the breeches fall to my
knees, are all identical.”
John Koopman, 67, often performs
while riding his horse, Bear. He
has portrayed Washington for 20 years.
James Fryer, 70, wears a replica of a general’s uniform that Washington designed himself. He recently completed training to portray Washington for the nonprofit Historic Philadelphia.
“Some people portray George as a marble statue. I don’t do a marble George. I am interested in talking to everyone, even those who yell at me because George was a slave owner. I want to respect them, try to educate them, or maybe even inspire them.”
Vern Frykholm, 77, was moved to bring his interpretation of Washington to Washington State, where he lives, after seeing a 2011 performance in Pennsylvania.
Dean Malissa, 73, signs his personal
correspondence, including emails,
as Washington did: “Your Most Humble
and Obedient Servant.” He became
the Official George Washington
at Mount Vernon in 2004, and held
that role for nearly 20 years.
“I describe him sometimes as just a dude. I look at him and think, I could see myself in the same world, making similar bad decisions or similar good decisions.”
Daniel Cross, 39, portrayed a young Washington at Virginia’s Colonial Williamsburg until last year. He now works with organizations around the country.
Curt Radabaugh, 62, has 13,000 history books in his personal library, including several hundred about Washington. He is a veteran of the U.S. Marines and a retired police officer.
“He’s a mentor, a father
figure, and not only in the
sense that he’s a patriarch
of the country. Because
I grew up without a
father, he kind of became
my surrogate father.”
Brian Hilton, 58, says he researches
Washington’s era every morning before
his children get up and at night after
they go to bed. He is a high school history
teacher near Richmond, Va.
Daniel Shippey, 57, partners on interpretations with his wife, Kelly, who portrays Martha Washington. Kelly researched 18th-century hair techniques to create her husband’s costume hairstyle. They live in Virginia.
“You’re playing the myth of George Washington as well as the historical figure. I make his voice a little firmer and deeper than it probably was in real life. I play him a little funnier than he probably was. In reality, if you came to see him, he probably wouldn’t talk to you as much as I do.”
Doug Thomas, 53, is Washington’s second cousin nine times removed.
John Godzieba, 67, has reenacted
the crossing of the Delaware as
Washington every Christmas for the
past 16 years at Pennsylvania’s
Washington Crossing Historic Park.
“In many ways I don’t look like him. My eye color is wrong. My nose is wrong. My hair color is wrong. I wouldn’t have cast myself in this role.”
Ron Carnegie, 64, has portrayed Washington at Colonial Williamsburg for 20 years.
Ryan Williams, 37, is a veteran who specializes in playing a young Washington during the French and Indian War. He lives in Virginia.
“Some people portray
Washington almost
like a superhero.
I like to bring out that
he has faults. He’s a
person like you or me.”
Michael Grillo, 64, is a historical
tailor who hand-sews his own clothes
for reenactments. He also makes
period props, including two American
battle flags and pewter mugs
engraved with Washington’s crest.
Martin Schoeller is a photographer and director known for his close-up portraits of everyone from world leaders and celebrities to female bodybuilders. For this project, he used a large format camera to photograph 13 historical interpreters of George Washington — many of whom arrived in full uniform — over three days in Virginia and New York City.
Additional reporting by Tenzin D. Tsagong. Interviews have been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Top quotes from Brian Hilton, Daniel Shippey and Daniel Cross.
Produced by Sara Barrett, Danny DeBelius and Sam Whitney. Additional production by Olivia James.
One task the robots can take from us? Cleaning. Especially hard-to-access windows. So when writers Caroline Mullen and Evan Dent found this little guy — whose government name is “EcoVacs Winbot Mini” — they were intrigued. Could he clean the uncleanable? Caroline and Evan put their robot friend to the test at both the Wirecutter office and a high-rise apartment. Is a robo-window cleaner more effective than scrubbing yourself?
new video loaded: School Year Cut Short and Aid Delivery Slowed Amid Fuel Crisis in Cuba
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June 22, 2026
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