Laura Herzog | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A Jersey City third-grader's false claim that he had a bomb in his bag led to a bomb squad investigation and a school-wide evacuation on Wednesday, officials said.

The boy, who police said was 9, told an educator at some time after 2 p.m. that he had a bomb in his bag, prompting school officials to call authorities, said the superintendent's Chief of Staff Maryann Dickar.

"The school didn't want to risk anything. It was at the end of the school day (about 10 minutes away), so they did a rapid dismissal," Dickar said.

"From what I understand, he was angry about something that had happened in his class. He immediately said 'oh, I was just kidding, I was mad.' They followed the right protocols."

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