Montclair police said Amir Doctry was charged in connection with the threat. A YouTube video he posted the day before shows he hoped to be named the Montclair school district's new superintendent.
In a message on the district website interim superintendent Damen G. Cooper said the district became aware of a "potential threat" and contacted police.
"2025 is just a few weeks away, and yet we live in a world where some of us look at fellow human beings simply as property," said Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
Officials met with managers of the grocery store in Essex County after online chatter about an in-store scale being out of balance, leading to overcharges.
State aid was used to pay for the day to discuss the district's ten year strategic plan which included limbo contests, a corn hole tournament and hula hoop competition.