A St. John’s student, lugging a loaded rifle and wearing a creepy Hallow een mask on the campus yesterday, was wrestled into custody by a quick- thinking NYPD cadet and guard – and within min utes, students were text- messaged to stay put while cops swarmed the grounds.
Frightened students – locked into classrooms, the gym and cafeteria at the Queens university – were both relieved at the timely warning and scared stiff at the prospect of a sicko sniper stalking the sprawl ing campus.
“I thought it would be Vir ginia Tech right here,” said Rakesh Dalal, 46, who was at the Catholic school’s finan cial aid office.
But thanks to a new text-messaging system put in place at the “Red Storm” university earlier this month – and the lightning-quick arrest of 22-year-old Omesh Hiraman, of Jackson Heights – no shots were fired.
“He said he wanted to carry a gun and . . . feel powerful,” a law enforcement source said. “He said he wasn’t looking to hurt anyone.”
Police said the apprehension of Hiraman came around 2:30 p.m., and just eight minutes later, the first text was relayed to students:
“From Public Safety. Male was found on campus with rifle. Please stay in your buildings until further notice. He is in custody, but please wait until the all-clear.”
The message went out a second time at 2:46 p.m.
At 3:32 p.m., an update was issued: “NYPD officers in Queens are conducting a building-by-building search. Please stay put.”
NYPD cadet Chris Benson, a student, spotted Hiraman lugging a suspicious-looking bag and tailed him. A security guard then stopped him from going into a building, grabbing the single-shot, .50-caliber rifle.
Students were largely unaware of the dramatic events but were quickly informed to stay put and await further messages.
University officials said they don’t yet know how many were alerted via text, but that all 20,000 students on campus got an e-mail.
Sean Edwards, a 27-year-old junior, said the text-messaging “worked perfect.”
“Nobody panicked,” he said.
Around 5:30 p.m., students – exhausted from the anxious hours and fending off swirling rumors about the gunman’s outfits and motives – were allowed off campus, though no one was allowed on.
All night classes were canceled. Hiraman, a finance student with a psychiatric history, meanwhile, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon.
His lawyer, Anthony Colleluori, disputed police by saying the gun was a single-gauge legal shotgun, “and not exactly what you would use if you want to hurt someone. It’s kind of like a Dick Cheney hunting rifle.
“It’s not as if there was an automatic here. It wasn’t . . . the kind of thing that could be like a Virginia Tech.”
He also said Hiraman recently had painful surgery for scoliosis, “and had to take medication for his illness. He’s tired, he’s confused and he’s scared.”
The suspect was taken to a hospital, cops said.
Police sources said his rifle was bought recently at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Dutchess County. Sources also said Hiraman didn’t feel well after taking his medications for schizophrenia – and felt he had to wear a mask.
But it creeped out students who noted Hiraman walking around with a mask variously described as a “Scream” mask, a “Frankenstein” mask and as one of President Bush or a celebrity.
Hiraman’s lawyer said the mask was actually Fred Flintstone.
After the lockdown, Timothy Kilgannon, 23, said the thought of Virginia Tech crossed his mind while he was inside the law school library.
“Things like that run through your head,” he said. He agreed that the message system helped keep the campus in order “and safe.”
This past April 16, 32 students and faculty were murdered at Virginia Tech by deranged gunman Seung Hui Cho, who then killed himself.
After the initial killings, kids had been left unaware that a madman was on the loose.
At St. John’s, an “emergency management plan” was immediately devised to lock down the campus and conduct building-by-building searches.
Also, the text-messaging system, available to students who opt into the service, was put into place earlier this month – and written about in the student paper just yesterday.
“I am very grateful that the plan we had in place . . . worked and worked well,” said St. John’s President, the Rev. Donald Harrington.
Officials said they were considering mandating the text-message alert program for all students.
Hiraman’s father, Pat, last night called the incident a “misunderstanding.”
“He has never been in any sort of trouble,” the elder Hiraman said.
Hiraman has an older brother who’s a doctor. Another is an MIT graduate. The younger Hiraman, a Stuyvesant HS grad, attended Cornell University for a time, although he did not graduate – and was pushed to succeed by his parents, Jackson Heights neighbors said.
“He always had a book in his hand,” said Milagros Valdez.
During long and tense lockdown, tech-savvy kids relied on cells and computers to keep in touch with what was happening.
“Everyone was anxious in my classroom,” pharmacy student Christopher Hanley said.
“When we heard the helicopters, everyone got anxious and started talking to their parents and friends.”
Kilgannon agreed the text message “was a good thing.”
“It definitely keeps you more comfortable,” he said.
During the more than two-hour lockdown, there was also frustration.
“We’re stuck on campus,” said Ashley Bernardes, 20, a junior. “It was very frustrating, especially because of the rumors that kept flying around.
“It’s scary because it’s become something normal. People are coming armed with weapons to school now.”
Additional reporting by Rich Calder, Tatiana Deligiannakis, Julia Dahl, Tim Perone and John Doyle