Police say a North Penn senior accused of setting off a fire alarm claims it went off when he walked past it

A North Penn High School student has been charged with a misdemeanor by Towamencin police for allegedly tripping the school’s fire alarm in September.

Kilmer Raul Reyes Amaya, 18, of Hatfield Village Apartments, 2058 Maple Ave., Hatfield, was charged with false alarm to a public safety agency, according to court documents.

On September 23 at 11:49 a.m., police responded to an active fire alarm at the high school at 1340 Valley Forge Road, which called for an evacuation of the entire school and a response from Towamencin Vol. Fire Co.

Police said school security informed them they had video footage of a student triggering the alarm, identified as Reyes Amaya.

The footage shows a man wearing a white shirt, blue sweatpants and white shoes in the hallway of Pod C at 11:46 a.m., police said, identified as Reyes Amaya, near a triggered fire alarm. In the video, police said Reyes Amaya entered the stairwell hallway out of sight, then poked his head out several times before quickly coming into view and continuing down the hall.

He turns a corner at the end of the hall and disappears from view again, police said. When he disappears from the camera’s view, teachers and students begin leaving their classrooms due to the fire alarm, according to the complaint.

Police say footage from a stairwell camera shows the defendant standing alone for several minutes before triggering the alarm.

Police spoke to Reyes Amaya at the security office, but he only spoke Spanish and a Spanish teacher was asked to help translate, according to the statement.

Reyes Amaya told police he was in the area but did not sound the alarm, police said. When Reyes Amaya learned there was video footage of him standing next to the alarm when it went off, he told police he had eaten lunch in the cafeteria before the alarm went off. He then walked past the alarm when it went off, he allegedly told police.

According to the complaint, Reyes Amaya said he walked past the alarm and didn’t touch it, and there must have been something wrong with it for it to go off, according to the complaint.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 13 at 11:30 a.m. before District Judge Ed Levine.

All suspects and accused are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled from public court records.