NEW YORK — A Horace Mann alumnus was arrested late Tuesday after he allegedly threatened to "burn down" the prestigious private school, officials told BuzzFeed News.
According to a criminal complaint, the suspect — identified by police as 36-year-old Daniel Gruber — allegedly made his threats last week, in a voicemail for an unidentified member of the school staff.
"You fucking faggot, I'm going to fucking kill you," Gruber allegedly said in the voicemail. "Leave the school or I'm going to fucking burn it down."
Earlier this week, Head of School Thomas Kelly sent a letter to parents informing them that "an alumnus [had] made several threats against Horace Mann on social media," and that the school was increasing security as a precaution.
Kelly also informed parents that the person who made the treats was "a registered sex offender," although he did not name him.
Gruber's name appears in the New Jersey sex offender registry, which states he was convicted of endangering the welfare of a child in Bergen County in 2006. The registry further states that Gruber "engaged in explicit sexual communications with minors via the internet" and had child pornography on his computer.
Gruber is also listed as a 1997 Horace Mann graduate in a classmates.com profile.
Gruber is being charged with two counts of aggravated assault in the second degree, according to the criminal complaint. A spokesperson for the Bronx District Attorney's Office told BuzzFeed News that Gruber is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Gruber's attorney declined to comment. If convicted on both charges, he faces up to two years in prison.
Calls and voicemails to Horace Mann were not immediately returned Wednesday.