A former New Rochelle teacher who allegedly made threats against the school and the district superintendent has been brought back to New York following his arrest in Louisiana on a warrant in the case.
Samuel McVey, 47, of Briarcliff Manor, was arraigned on a misdemeanor bail-jumping charge Friday, May 8, in City Court, where Judge Michelle Bernstein ordered him to undergo a psychiatric examination.
He was hired in October 2025 as a Spanish teacher at Isaac Young Middle School but was placed on administrative leave in early January and eventually fired.
McVey was first charged with aggravated harassment in early February and arrested again on March 17 on criminal contempt charges after allegedly sending an email that he was “coming to the building with guns” and had a “bullet for Corey’s head”, a reference to Superintendent Corey Reynolds.
McVey denies allegations he threatened New Rochelle school officials
In a series of meandering YouTube videos McVey posted starting in mid-March, he railed against Reynolds and other administrators, though eventually apologized for his criticism of the Isaac Young principal. He detailed some of the stops on his 20-year career in education and repeatedly spoke of two master’s degrees and the doctorate he’d obtained.
He denied ever threatening anyone, including New Rochelle school officials and specifically Reynolds.
“Why would I make a threat to somebody like that? I’m a giant teddy bear. Ask anyone who knows me,” he said on one of the videos, adding later: “Oh my gosh, now everybody thinks I’m a violent criminal. My God, are you serious? I’ve never even touched a gun my entire life.”
Why was Samuel McVey fired?
The specifics of why he was fired have not been made public. McVey suggested it could have been related to administrators’ suspicions that he was doing outside work during school hours.
He runs McVey International Group, which offers educational and sports programs in the United States and Colombia. The company’s website is currently promoting football camps in Florida and California next month.
McVey was taken into custody as a fugitive from justice
McVey was supposed to surrender his passport following his arrest but did not and traveled for a time to Colombia, although he said on the YouTube videos that he had moved to California.
Once back in the United States, police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana took McVey into custody on April 24 as a fugitive from justice, and he was returned to Westchester on May 7, New Rochelle police said.
What is Samuel McVey charged with?
McVey is now charged with first-degree criminal contempt, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of third-degree bail jumping, second-degree criminal contempt and second-degree aggravated harassment.
He has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges. His lawyer, Jeffrey Skaggs, declined to discuss specifics of the case.
McVey was taken to the Westchester County jail Friday after New Rochelle Judge Michelle Bernstein set bail at $100,000 cash, $200,000 bond or $300,000 bond secured by $30,000 cash. McVey is due back in City Court on June 2 for a status update on the psychiatric evaluation.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Former New Rochelle teacher to face psych eval after arrest
Reporting by Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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