Police warn senior assassin game sparks 911 calls, mistaken gun sightings

A water-gun version of tag that graduating seniors have long treated as harmless competition is now sending police racing into neighborhoods and forcing parents, schools and officers to redraw the line between play and a public threat. In Stoneham, Massachusetts, that line snapped early in the morning when a 911 caller reported someone hiding in bushes on Gerry Street and appearing to prepare an ambush.

Stoneham police said officers reached the scene just after 7 a.m. and briefly handcuffed and detained a teenager before confirming he was taking part in senior assassin, a game popular with graduating seniors. Police said the teen had a water pistol, not a firearm, but the weapon looked realistic enough to be mistaken for a real gun from a distance. The department later released body camera video of the encounter as it warned residents that the game had already triggered two separate incidents requiring a large police presence.

The episode captured how a prank that once relied on surprise and stealth can collide with a hyper-alert public-safety environment shaped by school shooting fears. Police told students playing senior assassin to use brightly colored water guns, avoid masks and not run from officers, advice that underscores how quickly a street game can resemble something far more serious when someone is crouched in bushes before sunrise.

Stoneham was not the only Massachusetts community dealing with the problem. In Groton, police responded to multiple 911 calls on April 29, 2025, and found a teen playing senior assassin with a water gun. Similar warnings were issued in several Massachusetts towns in 2025 after calls about students engaged in the game. Westford was among the communities where police cautioned residents as the trend spread.

The concern has also reached New York. Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said his department had responded to three recent reports tied to senior assassin and that the calls were forcing officers off the street. “We’re getting calls, we’re pulling cops out of service,” Ryder said. For departments already stretched thin, a prank that sends residents dialing 911 now carries a cost well beyond one misunderstanding on one suburban street.