March 30, 2026
StreetView/Google Maps
The Abington Towsnhip Police Department is advising high school students who play the Senior Assassin water gun game to take precautions in the community this spring. The contest among classmates has led to a number of incidents in recent years. Above, the Abington police headquarters and municipal building on Old York Road.
Abington Township Police are asking high school students to be mindful of their neighbors this spring while participating in Senior Assassin, a trendy game of water gun "tag" that's played every year in communities around the country.
The tradition among graduating seniors can take different forms, but the basic premise involves students prowling around town with water guns to win an elimination-style contest. It usually unfolds over a period of weeks. Students work their way through a series of targets — spraying their fellow classmates — in a quest to be the last one standing without getting soaked.
Senior Assassin has been around for decades. It rebounded in popularity in the 2010s as students took the game into the age of social media, posting videos of their pursuits online. Usually, the competition is all in good fun, but it has led to a number of incidents locally and nationally over the years. Last year, an 18-year-old in Florida was shot in the arm by an off-duty police officer who mistook three students for home invaders when he spotted them outside his property around 6 a.m.
"We want the community to be, not alarmed, but informed — just in case," Abington Township Police Detective Sgt. Greg Urban said Friday.
In a social media post, the department in Montgomery County asked students who play the game to use good judgment. They said students should never trespass, especially at night, and they should always use brightly colored water guns that are clearly toys. Police also asked students not to wear dark clothing, camouflage or face masks.
"While it may seem like harmless fun to students, it can cause serious concern to the public, especially when it involves sneaking around neighborhoods or hiding in unexpected places," police said. "Every year, we receive 911 calls from concerned residents who believe they’re witnessing suspicious or criminal activity … only to find out it’s part of this game."
Abington police have put out similar advisories in years past.
"Obviously, the department doesn't condone this, and we're not going to sit there and cheer it on, but we do ask them to do certain things if they are going to do it," Urban said.
Similar warnings have been issued by police departments elsewhere in the state and around the country. In Massachusetts last year, several police departments said the game's "ambush-style tactics" and pursuits at odd hours have caused confusion in their communities. One call to police involved a masked teen who was carrying a squirt gun that looked real from a distance.
Sometimes students venture into businesses to spray their targets, creating scenes that can take customers by surprise. Two masked teens who entered a restaurant in suburban Chicago last year to target a classmate had a gun drawn on them by another patron who had a concealed carry license. The situation was diffused before it escalated.
Elsewhere, a 17-year-old in Texas died last year after he fell from the back of a Jeep while playing Senior Assassin.
The game sometimes causes problems at schools, too. Police in Lower Merion were called to the high school last year when a teen believed to be carrying a weapon was seen approaching the building during a sporting event. The school was evacuated as a precaution while police investigated.
Abington School District said it doesn't organize, authorize or endorse Senior Assassin.
"Students are made aware that engaging in this type of activity on school grounds is prohibited," district spokesperson Allie Artur said. "We appreciate the Abington Township Police Department for ensuring area residents are informed."
Abington police said their advisory is meant to keep the community and students safe. Dispatchers have gotten a number of calls from concerned residents over the years, Urban said, and neighbors are more likely to be unnerved at night.
"That's what would probably make people scared, seeing something like that at night," Urban said. "If they're not sure that it's the Senior Assassin game, then give us a call. There's no reason to guess and feel uncomfortable or unsafe. If someone says, 'Well, I saw a big orange and yellow and green thing in his hand,' then at least that's in the back of our minds when we respond."
If teens are approached by police, Urban said they should just tell police they're playing the game and not run from officers.
The advisory from police was issued after gunshots were fired Sunday night in the Elkins Park section of Abington, near the basketball courts by the McKinley Fire Company. Several rounds were fired, including a bullet that struck an occupied home on the 300 block of Cadwalader Avenue, and police received calls from neighbors who said they saw a group of people fleeing from the firehouse. There were no injuries reported.
Authorities charged 18-year-old Jamell Whitmore, of King of Prussia, with multiple offenses after he was arrested Thursday at his home in Upper Merion Township.
Urban, who's been with Abington police for 44 years, called Sunday's shooting unusual.
"The area where those courts are is an older neighborhood that's always been very well kept and very nice people, so something like this would be shocking, but we just have to realize sometimes this happens," Urban said. "And that's why we're all over it."
Urban said police likely would have put out the same message about Senior Assassin regardless of whether Sunday's shooting had occurred.
"We'd still have the same response," he said. "The high school has about a thousand kids in the class. This game happens all over the township. It's always important to keep the community informed, especially if the McKinley and Elkins Park area is concerned. That's what we're out there to do, to serve these people in the community."
