Nassau County police warns public of social media dangers

Social media played a role in the tragic events of Sept. 16, when 18-year-old Tyler Flach, of Lido Beach, allegedly fatally stabbed an Oceanside High School senior, 16-year-old Khaseen Morris, in a strip mall parking lot on Brower Avenue. Flach has been charged with second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Seven other Long Beach teens were arrested Friday in connection with the fight.

From before the brawl and during the stabbing to after Morris’s death, social media posts escalated the situation. On Sept. 24, the Nassau County Police Department hosted a meeting at Oceanside High School to address rumors on social media about the incident and to educate the public on the dangers of social media.

At the community forum, Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder clarified details about bystanders at the scene. He noted that about 20 people — both teens and adults — were in the parking lot during the incident, clarifying some previous misinformation that there were 50 to 60 teens at the scene. He said there were about 50 people in the area altogether, including patrons in the stores. About two or three teens recorded the fight on phones and posted them online, he added. The videos went viral on social media.

“If you videotape that and you want to help, you give it to the police,” Ryder said. “You don’t post it on social media. Nobody volunteered those videos for us, we had to go find them and get them.”

Ryder explained that 14 calls came in about the fight. Nine were immediately answered; five were put on hold for about 30 seconds and two callers hung up. Police were on the scene a little more than two minutes.

He also noted that Flach and his friends started the fight because “some social media activity between individuals over a young lady had occurred, and some jealousy happened.”

Ryder confirmed there was a social media threat to OHS on Sept. 17, the day after the fight. “We have had contact with that family, and we are dealing with that young man involved,” he assured attendees. In addition, the Police Department sent officers to the high school every day for the rest of the week, including during a football game on Sept. 20.

Ryder explained that schools and police have close contact and remain on top of any threats made over social media. He said so far there have been seven threats made to Nassau County schools during the 2019-20 school year.

“The use of social media is powerful,” Ryder said. “It’s a powerful, powerful tool that we put into our kids’ hands.”

About 200 community members attended the forum, and many asked questions about the incident and the aftermath. Some asked about mental health resources for students. Oceanside High School Principal Geri DeCarlo outlined the additional resources the school enlisted to help, including increased psychologists in the building from Castleton School and the elementary schools.

“We came in the next day, and I had emergency faculty meeting at about 7:15 in the morning,” she said. “Every parent was called. So while it seems business as usual, we have pulled out all the stops.”

The principal noted that school social workers and psychologists spoke with more than 125 students who were distraught over the incident. Rather than hosting a large assembly, students received counseling in small groups, which DeCarlo said school officials found was the best way to handle the crisis.

After about 45 minutes of answering questions, Ryder turned the presentation over to Det. Adam Constantino, of the Special Victims Unit, to present a PowerPoint about the dangers of social media. He lectured students for 20 minutes about using social media wisely.

“Social media is only as good as what you put into it,” Constantino said. “It’s also as evil as what you put into it.”

He noted that social media is a tool that children were never taught to use, and this has had many severe consequences, including increases in teen suicide and cyberbullying. He then encouraged teens and adults to be mindful before posting on social media, and ask themselves if it would make someone’s life better or worse.

“Share good things,” he told the audience. “Not what was shared last week.”