SCOTCH PLAINS — A student who brought a handgun to Union Catholic High School on Monday afternoon has been arrested and charged with numerous offenses including Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and Possession of a Firearm in an Educational Institution.

At approximately 10:45 a.m. on Monday, a member of the school’s administration called the Scotch Plains Police Department to report that a firearm had been discovered on school property. According to information provided by Police Chief Jeffrey Briel, the building, along with other schools in Scotch Plains, Fanwood and Westfield, were placed on an immediate lockdown “out of an abundance of caution.”

Police were able to recover the firearm without incident, Chief Briel said via a press release Monday afternoon, and the lockdown was lifted after approximately three hours.

The unnamed student was apprehended by police at approximately 8 p.m. on Monday.

“There were no indications of threats or harm to the school, students or personnel during the incident,” Chief Briel said, adding that the school, which reopened as usual on Tuesday morning, was considered “safe and secure.”

Numerous parents arrived at Union Catholic High School after hearing of the lockdown.

“I’m calling my kid every 15 minutes,” one mother said. “I know he’s safe — he’s telling me he’s safe — but this is still incredibly nerve-wracking. I just want this to be over with.”

Police have not yet indicated where the gun was found, whether it was loaded, or whether the student, listed in police reports as a juvenile, will be charged as an adult.

If convicted of the charges, the student could face upwards of five years in prison.