Three teenage boys in Northern Florida are accused of creating a pair of hit lists that authorities said threatened to harm and kill the high school students who were named.

The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said the three boys — Nikita Calantropo, 15; Ron Quinones, 14, and Kiryl Nerad, 14 — were arrested Friday and charged with felonies for penning what police called a “hit list” and “lethal hit list” that targeted students at Creekside High School.

The sheriff’s office said deputies discovered group text messages between the teenage suspects where the faces of specific students were circled and the accused boys talked about using guns. 

Sheriff Robert Hardwick also said that some of the targeted students had their addresses listed in the text messages.

“Nothing is more important to me than the safety of our children and this is another example of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office commitment to protect the more than 50,000 students who attend classes on a daily basis,” Sheriff Hardwick said. “I am proud of the youth services deputies assigned to this investigation, who acted quickly on the information that was provided and prevented a potential tragedy.” 

None of the boys are currently behind bars, according to statewide jail records.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.