Villanova University officials confirmed a "cruel hoax" led administrators to send out an active shooter alert Thursday, urging students and staff to lock and barricade doors.
Villanova’s Department of Public Safety received an anonymous report of an active shooter in the Charles Widger School of Law at about 4:30 p.m., a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Subsequent alerts from the university urged students and staff to move to a secure location and stay clear of Law School Scarpa Hall.
Villanova President Peter Donohue described the incident as a "cruel hoax."
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"There was no active shooter, no injuries and no evidence of firearms present on campus," Donohue wrote in a statement to Fox News.
He thanked local police and staff for their response to the situation and apologized to first-year students and their families for the frightening start to the school year.
Videos posted to social media appeared to show people scattered at an outdoor event.
University records show a Class of 2029 student orientation was planned for Thursday, including a family resource fair, opening mass and family picnic.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro described the event as a "swatting incident," when someone calls in a fake threat to induce panic.
"Swatting is illegal," Shapiro wrote in a statement on X. "I've directed [Pennsylvania State Police] 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."
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer added a forensic team and the FBI is "using every tool" to trace the call.
Shapiro confirmed a large state and federal response, including Pennsylvania State Police and the ATF's Philadelphia Field Division.
The university gave an all-clear at about 6:30 p.m., lifting a shelter in place.
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Villanova University is a private Catholic college located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, about 30 minutes outside Philadelphia.
Villanova University, Villanova University Police, Radnor Police Department and the Deleware County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said it was not involved.
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The incident comes weeks after an active shooter was reported Aug. 8 near Emory University's campus in Atlanta.
Gunman Patrick Joseph White, 30, took his own life after allegedly killing DeKalb County police Officer David Rose, 33.
White is accused of shooting hundreds of rounds into six CDC buildings, though no employees were injured.
Original article source: Villanova University confirms active shooter 'hoax' amid orientation events, FBI investigating
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