Ridgefield, Connecticut: Schools put on lockdown after ‘suspicious person’ spotted

All schools in Ridgefield, Connecticut, were on lockdown Monday morning following sightings of a "suspicious person" near an elementary school.

"There's a report of a suspicious person, a suspicious person that may or may not be armed," Lieutenant Paul Vance of Connecticut State Police told Reuters.

According to Patch.com, a man was spotted at Ridgefield's Branchville train station at around 9 a.m.

He had "an unknown item slung over his back."

Police feared it could be a rifle, the Connecticut Post said.

The nearest school, Branchville Elementary, diverted its buses and gathered pupils together in the auditorium.

Officers and sniffer dogs were reportedly canvassing the area. They had not uncovered any threats by around 10 a.m., according to Patch's reporter.

The lockdown was lifted by 11:15 a.m., the Hartford Courant reported, though an investigation was said to be ongoing.

Ridgefield is about 20 miles from Newtown, where a gunman shot dead 20 children and six staff at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday.

Schools throughout the state have been on heightened alert since the attack.

In the town of Bristol, about 30 miles from Newtown, a student was taken into police custody on Sunday after making "threatening comments" directed at Bristol Central High School, the Courant reported. Two extra police officers were stationed there Monday.

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