NJ Teen Pleads Guilty to Bomb Threats in Alpine, Texas

A 17-year-old from Sewell, New Jersey, has pleaded guilty to federal charges after terrorizing Alpine, Texas, with a string of hoax bomb threats last September. Nicholas Kyle Martino admitted to swatting calls targeting Sul Ross State University and the Big Bend Regional Medical Center—acts that triggered emergency responses during an already chaotic day marked by an active shooter at Alpine High School.

Martino waived his right to be tried as a juvenile and was certified as an adult in federal court. U.S. District Judge Robert A. Junell approved the certification this afternoon in Midland, Texas. Moments later, the teen appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Counts and entered guilty pleas to four counts of interstate threats to injure persons—each carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Court records reveal Martino made two calls to the Brewster County Sheriff’s Office on September 8, 2016, falsely claiming a bomb had been placed at Sul Ross State University. Roughly two hours later, he called the Big Bend Regional Medical Center in Alpine and threatened to kill everyone inside. These threats came while first responders were already stretched thin at the scene of a real shooting at Alpine High School, where one student was wounded and the gunman died by suicide.

Not done, Martino escalated his campaign of terror online. On September 10, 2016, he used Twitter to threaten the life of former Texas State Representative Pete Gallego and his family. He also posted another threat to bomb SRSU. Federal investigators traced the digital footprints back to Martino’s devices in New Jersey.

The FBI-led investigation spanned multiple states and countries. Agents from Midland, Philadelphia, Eau Claire, Nashville, and Seattle worked alongside local police in New Jersey, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, and even Halifax Regional Police in Nova Scotia, Canada. The coordinated effort culminated in Martino’s arrest at his home on December 1, 2016. He’s been in federal custody ever since.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys James J. Miller, Jr., and Debra Kanof are prosecuting the case. Sentencing is set for May 10, 2017, before Judge Junell. The case underscores the dangerous ripple effects of swatting—a cybercrime that wastes critical resources and endangers lives, especially when timed against real emergencies.

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