While at the PS 207 playground with his daughter on Sunday, a father came across a threatening note on one of the doors of the school, which she attends.

It read, “I had a dream last night where I was strangling people. Wish I can do it in real life to those who’ve wronged me all my life.”

“My vengeful, sadistic self will finally get sweet revenge for everything that has occurred in my life,” it continued. 

Dominick Friscia, who lives around the block from the park, noticed the yellow note stuck on the door that leads into the playground. 

“I said, ‘What is this? This really doesn’t sound right,’” Friscia told the Chronicle.

So he called the 106th Precinct, which directed him to call 911, which he did, and then he reached out to PJ Marcel of the Howard Beach Dads Facebook group.

Friscia waited for police to arrive at the location. School safety arrived first, he said, followed by squad cars. 

Police confirmed that the officers responded to the call around 2 p.m. and vouchered the “suspicious” note, which did not contain a specific threat to the school or students. 

Police and administrators reviewed surveillance tape and identified a man, 20 years old, who was brought in for questioning, said Phyllis Inserillo, co-president of the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association.

When Friscia arrived to the school to drop off his daughter today, there were no police present yet but they showed up shortly after, he said. Police were also present at dismissal.

“The safety and wellbeing of our students and schools is our absolute top priority,” said Department of Education spokesperson Jenna Lyle in an email. “Our diligent school staff immediately contacted NYPD, who responded over the weekend. We are supporting the NYPD in their investigation.” 

A letter from the school administration sent yesterday outlined the issue and said that the school was in touch with the borough safety director from the DOE.

The notice also stated, “The 106 Precinct is aware of the note and will be at the school tomorrow. The school safety supervisor will also be present in the morning. All necessary precautions were taken to ensure that this is being handled and we were informed that there is no specific threat against the school.”

Some parents commenting on the post in the Facebook group about the incident said they would not send their kids to the school today but Friscia differed. 

“My kid is not going to live in fear,” he said. “And, you know, the police are on it. And I have all my faith in the NYPD.”

He would like to see greater school safety presence, however. And the playground needs more patrol, he said, especially after sundown, a sentiment that many commenting on the post shared. 

“It’s lawless,” Friscia said. “They get the dirt bikes. They get like, you know, 50 kids in there on Saturday and Sunday night. It’s insanity.”

Friscia and Marcel heard on Monday that the writer of the note had been found but officials did not immediately confirm that. 

“It could be an older kid or a mentally disturbed person or it could be a joke,” Friscia speculated about the note, which was written neatly and, aside from some profanities, used relatively sophisticated language. “But you can't take this lightly because you never know with the sick world we live in,” he said.

The incident comes amid a push for increased school safety measures, including a plan to lock the front entrances of all city public schools. The NYPD youth coordination division is also being ramped up, with precincts now assigning six officers to schools instead of two.

In a civic meeting last week, YCO Peter Paese of the 106th Precinct stated that the unit got the four new officers assigned to it, two of whom had previously been NCOs assigned to Resorts World Casino, Officer Kieran Casey and 35-year veteran Det. John Maderik.

The YCOs were mostly assisting with school dismissals, Paese said.

Additionally, every city public school has, at a minimum, access to a full-time social worker or a school-based mental health clinic, according to officials.

UPDATE

This story has been updated to include that a 20-year-old man was identified by police and brought in for questioning.