A substitute teacher from Sunnyside was arrested Wednesday for threatening to shoot students at The Walter Crowley Intermediate School in Elmhurst (GMAPs)
July 22, 2021 By Christian Murray
A Queens substitute teacher was arrested Wednesday for allegedly threatening to shoot a class of middle school students if they did not listen to him.
Alejandro Rocha, a Sunnyside resident who was teaching at IS-5—The Walter Crowley Intermediate School in Elmhurst, allegedly made the disturbing remark at around 2 p.m.
“If you don’t do what you’re told, I’m going to shoot you. And yes, I have a gun,” Rocha allegedly said.
He was arrested hours later and charged with “making a terroristic threat,” police said.
He admitted to school officials that he made the comment but argued that it was a bad joke.
Rocha has been suspended, according to a Department of Education spokeswoman.
“This is absolutely unacceptable,” a DOE spokesperson said in a statement. “The substitute teacher was immediately suspended and if this deeply disturbing allegation is found to be true, he will be fired.”
Rocha began as a substitute teacher in September 2001 and has no prior disciplinary history, the department said. He has been suspended without pay and not currently eligible to work in city schools.
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12 Comments
Something tells me this teacher is not a parent. No parent speaks like this to other children.
jeebuz, the school looks like arkham asylum or a prison. who designed this monstrosity?
thanks for stealing my nickname. i wonder what else you steal in our community.
How about some mental health intervention? Terrible thing for children to hear from a person in authority, even in jest, but it sounds like stress has gotten to him.
There’s no such thing as stress to a teacher or the educational field.
I am so saddened that I have to share a profession with this schmuck. He is the reason why NYC teachers get crapped on so much.
2001? Did I read that correctly?
I used to teach ELA to middle schools students at a NYC school. It was a nighmare.
You would not believe how much better it has gotten. Students are so well behaved now, and the parents are a dream to work with. You should come back.
this website has been so socialist not allowing comments to be posted yeah i get it the edition is definitely friends w JVB and most likely runs to him the minute there’s bad press but yoooooo just be a politican and allow yourself to be criticized
I dont know why but I feel like this might be an over reaction. arrested really. I had great teachers growing up in NYC and they would mess around with is all the time nobody freaked out and the police didnt arrest anyone. my dad said he use to get beat with a ruler by the nuns lol! like in the movie blues brothers.
You know there are investigators who work for the die who do nothing but investigate teachers over the slightest infraction. Sometimes, it’s not even an infraction. It’s our word (which is never listened to) against the child’s (which is ALWAYS listened to.)
Kids lie! Kids don’t realize they might be ruining someone’s career.
This, however, is not the case. I’d never ever tell my students I had a gun (even if I DID own one– which I don’t). Too many people see these things as a need to have the last word.
It’s considered corporal punishment.
Never mind the fact that it did work.