Trespasser Who Forced New York High School Into Lockdown Was a 'Nostalgic' Alum Who Just Wanted to Shoot Hoops

A 'nostalgic' trip back to his high school ended in chaos when a 25-year-old man snuck in to shoot hoops, triggering a full lockdown and a police response.

On December 31, 2021, Jack Grippe walked into C.W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville, New York, during dismissal time. The man was seemingly attempting to blend in with the rest of the students and was carrying a basketball in hand.

Gripe reportedly wandered the campus for about 30 minutes before staff members approached him. After being questioned, the man became nervous and fled the area, prompting a lockdown there and at neighboring schools. Baker students who had not gone home yet were kept until 5 p.m. that evening.

Police chief Michael Lefancheck later confirmed that Grippe was located unarmed and arrested for trespassing. Investigators now believe he had no "ill intent" and was simply feeling sentimental about his time at the school, having been a graduate.

"They were cooperative," Lefancheck said of Grippe and his family, according to CNYCentral.

"We searched the residence, no weapons of any kind there and no evidence of ill intent at all."

Grippe was charged with a misdemeanor of third-degree criminal trespass and released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in a New York state court on October 16.