A Belleville High School student has been charged with arson after allegedly causing a Chromebook laptop to catch fire as part of a dangerous social media trend known as the “Chromebook Challenge,” authorities announced Thursday.
The incident prompted an evacuation of the school and has sparked warnings from police and fire officials about the serious dangers of participating in such online trends.
Fire Prompted School Evacuation
According to police, the Belleville Fire Department responded to Belleville High School at approximately 9:15 a.m. Thursday after receiving reports of a fire in a classroom. The school building was evacuated as a precautionary measure while first responders assessed the situation, according to News 12 New Jersey .
Responders discovered a charred Chromebook laptop outside the school near one of the classrooms. Investigation revealed that a staff member had noticed the device emitting smoke and quickly removed it from the classroom while helping to evacuate students and faculty.
TikTok Trend Involves Dangerous Tampering
Police say their investigation revealed that the teen “intentionally manipulated the device as part of a social media challenge” circulating on TikTok. The dangerous trend involves students jamming metal objects such as paper clips, mechanical pencil lead, or other conductive materials into USB ports or charging ports of Chromebook laptops, causing them to short-circuit and potentially catch fire, according to ABC 7 New York …