A frightening text message caused students to flee, locking themselves in restrooms and toppling chairs as they hurriedly sought shelter from the active shooter reported on their university campus.
Shortly afterward, and 700 miles apart, it occurred once more.
Accounts of armed individuals with military-style weapons on campus have energized students as they get ready for the start of a new academic year.Villanova University in Pennsylvaniaand the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga went into lockdown as law enforcement personnel rushed to the campuses to evaluate the threats. Students took cover behind walls, locked themselves in dorm rooms, and urgently sent messages to family and friends.
At both institutions, the reports proved to be untrue: no armed individuals were found, and no gunfire was detected. These incidents are part of a growing trend of false alerts that have affected college campuses nationwide, causing anxiety and chaos from Pennsylvania to Arizona.
A senior at Villanova University, Ava Petrosky, was performing during an orientation Mass at the Catholic institution when she noticed individuals in the audience starting to flee.
“Frankly, at that moment I thought, ‘I’m going to die,’” she said to the Muara Digital Team affiliate.WPVIShe blended into the group and sprinted to safety.
At Chattanooga, which lay in the middle ofWelcome Weekcelebrations, students quickly left a classroom upon receiving a text message that said “Run. Hide. Fight.” Police officers carrying weapons similar to assault rifles told them to run across the street, according to senior Luke Robbins.The Chattanooga Times-Free Press.
It was simply chaotic,” Robbins remarked. “It’s wild.
At least one additional active shooter report was received at Villanova on Sunday, in addition to one at the University of South Carolina. Six universities reported active shooter situations on Monday; all of these were found to be without basis.
False alarms arise from a climate where the danger of widespread gun violence is deeply genuine. Less than a month ago,a gunman attackedThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta led to a lockdown at the nearby Emory University. A second gunman, aiming at the NFL’s New York office,opened fire within a Manhattan high-rise buildingin late July and resulted in four fatalities, including a police officer on leave.
Swatting– the intentional act of submitting a false report to the police, which leads law enforcement to believe that a mass shooting, hostage crisis, or explosion might be occurring – has been recorded by the FBIfor a minimum of two decades.
And calls that target schools are not uncommon. One researcher who monitored swatting calls at schools and universitiesdocumented 731 callsin the United States during 2023. During the 2022-2023 academic year, over 446 false reports of active shooters were made at schools, as stated in a report from theEducator’s School Safety Networka nonprofit organization focused on school safety
The hoax was a ‘really tough way to start freshman year at college,’ said Courtenay Harris Bond, who was on Villanova’s campus with her freshman son on Thursday when the active shooter alert was issued, according to WPVI.
A terrifying call
The incidents at Villanova and Chattanooga on August 21 began with every university’s worst fear: a call about an active shooter on campus.
In both instances, operators detected what appeared to be gunshots in the background of the calls – adding a chilling authenticity to what later proved to be false reports.
Initially, the 911 operator in Hamilton County, Tennessee, which includes the Chattanooga campus, got a call around 12:30 p.m. stating that a White man with an AR-15-style rifle had shot four individuals near the school’s library, according to Chief Sean O’Brien of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Police on Friday.
A few hours later, approximately 4:33 p.m., a comparable call was received at the Department of Emergency Services in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, indicating that a man “armed with an AR-15-style weapon” had fired shots on Villanova’s campus, as stated in a news release from Delaware County Communications and Public Affairs. Several additional similar calls came in afterward. The event occurred onthe first day of new student orientation.
Numerous swatting incidents appear to adhere to a pattern, as noted by Keven Hendricks, a seasoned law enforcement professional whoteaches a course on swattingat the National White Collar Crime Center. Scammers might also contact non-emergency lines rather than emergency numbers—because Voice over Internet Protocol services commonly used by swatters usually can’t reach local 911 systems, Hendricks explained.
‘Every second matters’
However, even if there are warning signs suggesting a call might be false, law enforcement usually doesn’t have the time to look into it before reacting because “every second counts” when an incident of mass violence could be taking place, as stated by Elizabeth Jaffe, an associate professor at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.
Law enforcement doesn’t have a decision to make,” Jaffe stated. “They must conduct investigations. They can’t simply remain idle and wait.
During the Chattanooga and Villanova events, police – unable to verify if the calls were genuine – deployed resources to the university campuses.
In Tennessee, operators called for every available officer from the university’s police department,as stated in a press releasefrom the school. In total, over 100 officers were present, Chattanooga Police Department Chief John Chambers said to the Muara Digital Team.
The reply will always be a valid one, particularly in the beginning,” Chambers stated. “We are the line between life and death, and our men and women in law enforcement will rush in to hold that line as soon as possible.
Nevertheless, the deployment of officers to a false emergency can divert resources from actual issues, as stated by John DeCarlo, the former police chief of Branford, Connecticut, anda professor of criminologyat the University of New Haven.
“It’s diverting emergency medical, police, and fire personnel from a potential real incident that they might not be able to address because they’re dealing with a false one,” he said to the Muara Digital Team.
There was chaos and confusion on campus as students hurried to secure themselves, according to Chambers. Although the alert was false, “it’s real for our students,” he mentioned. “It’s real for our police officers and it’s real for our firefighters.”
Officials were “rushing in as fast as they could and actually running into these structures to protect our children and staff,” he continued.
The leader emphasized the significance of responding thoroughly to a potential active shooter situation while ensuring that resources remain accessible. “We understand that we have an entire city that we must continue to protect under any circumstances,” he stated.
Law enforcement officers evacuated several structures before determining “there was no proof of a shooting or other danger” to the university population, as stated in the news announcement. At 1:51 p.m., more than an hour after the initial reports, the university issued a complete clearance.
At Villanova, “law enforcement agencies arrived from almost all local areas in the region,” as stated by Delaware County Communications and Public Affairs. Additionally, eighteen emergency medical services units were sent.
A first-year law student was in the law school building when an officer arrived, pistol in hand.
He “asked us if we heard any gunshots,” Kyle Mezrow remembered.WPVIWe responded, ‘No.’ He instructed, ‘Support everything. Leave the building.’
The rush of it was somewhat unbelievable,” Mezrow said. “You aren’t really sure how to react.
Law enforcement and EMS personnel at Villanova “acted quickly and without considering personal danger, unaware that there was no active shooter,” stated Delaware County Communications and Public Affairs in a press release. “Significant resources and work were used in the process.”
The school cancelled its Sunday Mass for the new students, referencing “the whirlwind of emotions over these past few days” following the false calls.
Old problem, new technology
For DeCarlo, a criminology professor, swatting is not a novel occurrence. Pranks such as a student triggering a fire alarm have been around for many years.
However, the progression of technology, including Voice over Internet Protocol services, has significantly complicated the process of tracking phone calls and has led to more complex and challenging-to-detect hoaxes. He also mentioned that AI has made it easier than ever to replicate someone’s voice for a fraudulent phone call.
Calls that simulate the threat of active shooters are especially effective because they exploit the fears shaped by years of actual mass violence incidents – especially in educational institutions, DeCarlo explained to the Muara Digital Team.
The false calls are “distressing for students,” he stated. “It’s distressing for families. And it’s becoming an increasing issue.”
Swatting can arise from “a variety of causes,” DeCarlo mentioned, such as a need for attention and issues related to mental health. The rise of social media and the constant news coverage might allow “copycat” individuals to be influenced by past events.
Swatters have gone after regular individuals along with politicians, judges, celebrities, religious groups, schools, and colleges. Certain habitual offenders have made numerous calls, such as a teenager from California.who pleaded guiltyto make hundreds of swatting calls last year.
Hendricks mentioned that swatting might act as a “starting point” for further offenses. It could be similar to “testing the waters to find out what they can get away with.”
Then, if a swatter isn’t apprehended, “they become more confident and believe they can go further, feeling almost unstoppable after escaping consequences,” he stated.
This involves displaying their criminal activities online. Some frequent swatters “are very open online about their actions, broadcasting their swattings live through Discord channels, discussing their swatting on Telegram channels,” he mentioned.
A hunt for suspects
Officials in Pennsylvania and Tennessee have promised to locate the individuals behind the fake calls.
The Villanova incident was described as a “cruel hoax” that caused “panic and fear,” stated the university’s president in a letter following the lockdown. The Chattanooga call was referred to as a “criminal act,” meant to create disruption and chaos, according to the university.in a news releaseThe FBI is looking into both events.
As swatting became a nationwide issue, federal and local laws have been implemented to address it.Multiple applicable federal criminal lawsfacilitate the prosecution of swatting incidents, including legislation that prohibits threats of harm or abduction and bomb threats.
Some prominent swatters have encountered legal repercussions, including two individuals from Serbia and Romania, according to prosecutors.placed hundreds of fabricated callsto U.S. officials, and three individuals linked to the swatting of another man in Wichita, Kansas,whom police fatally shot when they arrived.
A California teenager involved in hundreds of swatting calls – including one directed at a Florida mosque – wassentenced this year to a four-year termwhile in prison, federal prosecutors stated.
However, identifying the individuals behind swatting calls can be challenging—particularly since someone can place a false call from thousands of miles away.
To assist in tackling the issues, the FBI created a “Virtual Online Command Center” in 2023, enabling state and local agencies to report swatting cases.
Chambers, the head of police in Chattanooga, mentioned that the inquiry began immediately after the initial call was received. As groups of officers reached the campus, analysts and investigators were also working diligently and quickly joined forces with local and federal collaborators. He noted that the investigation is still in progress.
It has an impact on our entire community,” Chambers stated. “We would seek responsibility.
DeCarlo advocated for more precise legislation to address swatting incidents, along with resources to assist in tracing calls directed to police or fire departments.
Hendricks, on the other hand, urged Internet Protocol voice service providers to take actions, like enforcing user authentication, to stop misuse.
He called on law enforcement officials to consider swatting a significant offense and to thoroughly investigate those responsible.
“Without the complete enforcement of the law required to hold these individuals responsible, it won’t come to an end,” Hendricks stated.
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