Schools in East Boston alerted after reports of person with rifle

Multiple East Boston schools were put on alert Wednesday afternoon when a person was seen with a rifle in the neighborhood, police said.

Boston police said they responded around 2:30 p.m. to the 200 block of Leyden Street, near the Orient Heights Blue Line MBTA stop. No one was found with a rifle, police said.

The Curtis Guild Elementary School on Leyden Street and the Bradley Elementary School on Beachview Road were temporarily placed in “safe mode,” Boston Public Schools spokesperson Max Baker said.

Students and teachers at the two BPS elementary schools sheltered away from windows in their classrooms with lights off and the blinds closed. That order has since been lifted.

In letters to families, the principals of the elementary schools said the “safe mode” order lasted for around 50 minutes.

“Our dismissal was delayed for a short period of time due to continued Boston Police activity, and BPD will have a presence at our school during dismissal to ensure student and family safety,” Curtis Guild Principal Karen McCarthy wrote to families.

At Bradley, dismissal at 4:10 p.m. went ahead as normal.

Baker said there was no immediate threat but the lockdown was initiated “out of an abundance of caution.”

Officers were still on scene looking for anyone matching the description as of 4 p.m.