Posted on Jan 14, 2010 2:44 pm by David Dahlquist, Macworld.com
Teenagers make a lot of stupid decisions; it's part of growing up, and we can all relate. Of course, sometimes the line between a stupid, harmless decision and a stupid, criminal decision can be blurry—but that's certainly not the case in this story.
Jason Barry, a 17-year-old New Yorker, thought it would be hilarious if he walked into an Apple store at the Staten Island Mall and typed this charming letter on one of the store's Macs:
“I have threatened your store and all its employees with a bloody death ... whoever the crew maybe working, or the innocent citizens that walk in ... will be eliminated with the force of a... bomb loaded with C4, strapped to my chest.”
Funny stuff, right? And in NYC of all places. Of course, the boy wasn't content to simply leave an anonymous terrorist threat. He signed the letter under a friend's dad's name before leaving it on the screen for an Apple Store employee to discover. The employee called the police and it wasn't long before Barry was apprehended and charged with making a terrorist threat.
The teen told police that he was only joking when he typed the letter, and forgot to delete it. The police aren't laughing, and neither are the prosecutors. Barry is now looking at a potential seven-year prison stay if he is convicted. That should be enough time for him to refine his comedic routine.
