Authorities are investigating two reports of active shooters that were both deemed false at Villanova University over the last four days.
The false reports prompted shelter-in-place orders as well as large police responses as the college outside Philadelphia began fall semester.
Radnor Township Police Department (RTPD) responded to the university’s Austin Hall on Sunday morning in a second incident of false reporting, the department said on X.
University President Reverend Peter M. Donohue called the first report, made on the opening day of new-student orientation a “cruel hoax.”
In an email sent to Newsweek on Sunday, the university also confirmed the report saying, “The University was aware of a report concerning Austin Hall earlier this morning. The report was determined to be baseless, and Villanova Police have given the all clear. Normal operations have resumed.”
Newsweek has reached out to the RTPD via email during non-working hours Sunday for further comment.
Why It Matters
False active-shooter reports risk public safety by causing mass panic, diverting law-enforcement resources and potentially endangering responders and the campus community, law enforcement officials and elected leaders said while vowing to pursue those responsible.
Multiple agencies including the RTPD, Villanova Public Safety, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, the Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI, took part in the response or the investigation after the first hoax phone call.
What To Know
Officials said the first false report of an active shooting reached authorities at about 4:30–4:35 p.m. ET Thursday claiming there was at least one wounded person in the Charles Widger School of Law during orientation Mass, Newsweek previously reported.
Law enforcement swept the law school and surrounded campus buildings before declaring the campus all clear with no evidence of firearms or injuries.
Just days later, RTPD said they had fielded a second report that also proved false.
Officers responded to the report of an active shooter at Austin Hall on Sunday morning, and determined the call was also false.
Police are working to clear the campus and restore normal operations
What People Are Saying
Radnor Township Police Department said in a post on X Sunday morning: “Radnor Township Police Department is on location at Villanova University Austin Hall for a reported active shooter. Law enforcement has confirmed the call to be false. Officers are working to clear the campus and restore normal operations. At this time, the investigation is ongoing.”
Rev. Peter M. Donohue, president of Villanova University, wrote in a message to the campus community following the first incident: “Today, as we are celebrating Orientation Mass to welcome our newest Villanovans and their families to our community, panic and terror ensued with the news of a possible shooter at the Law School. Mercifully, no one was injured, and we now know that it was a cruel hoax—there was no active shooter, no injuries and no evidence of firearms present on campus. While that is a blessing and relief, I know today’s events have shaken our entire community.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote on X Thursday: “Swatting is illegal. I’ve directed @PAStatePolice to work alongside their partners and use every tool at our disposal to find the person or people who called in this fake threat and hold them accountable.”
What Happens Next?
Officials will continue investigative work to identify who made the false reports and whether charges, including those tied to swatting statutes, will be filed.
The university said it planned to resume or adjust orientation activities and to share additional information as it became available.
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