A Longview Avenue man, tormented by long-term thoughts he harbored about harming local school children -- including taking them hostage -- was arrested Tuesday after alerting police last month that he might act on those inclinations.
Joseph Russo, 44, was charged on a warrant following his release from St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport with first-degree threatening and threatening an act of terrorism. He was held on a $75,000 bond.
Police said the public was not in danger during their investigation because an emergency committal of Russo at the hospital on Oct. 27, when he initially contacted police about his fears. He remained there while police conducted their investigation.
Russo told police "disturbing details of his intent to harm students at one of our elementary schools," a release from police states.
That school was Roger Sherman Elementary School, and parents of its students were notified about the threat investigation on Oct. 28.
"Russo detailed he had thought this for years" -- regarding possibly inflicting harm -- police said
Russo contacted police seeking help so that he wouldn't act on his inclinations, police Sgt. Suzanne Lussier said. They determined Russo posed "a significant and potential danger to others" and the emergency committal was made.
Russo does not have any children, police said, nor does he own any registered weapons.
During the followup investigation, police determined Russo had previously made similar threats to others that "he wanted to take students hostage to traumatize them," but those threats were not conveyed to police at the time they were made, Lussier said.
"This was the first we learned of it," Lussier said, "when he called the police."
In 2012, Russo's parents called police for assistance because they were concerned about an indiviual their son was spending time with, and his "diminished mental capacity."
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