The report of an active shooter that put Villanova University on high alert was unfounded, officials confirmed, labeling the incident a "cruel hoax." Revision walked through the doors of John F. Scarpa Hall while the campus was in a state of lockdown, as police sought an alleged threat that didn't exist. Villanova President Rev. Peter Donohue expressed relief in a letter, stating, "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," as 6abc reported.
Hundreds of officers from various departments, including Radnor Township Police, and agents from the FBI converged on the university. Videos emerging on social media showed students being hurriedly ushered into buildings as an emergency alert for an active shooter went out. Inside Scarpa Hall, described by Villanova first-year law student Kyle Mezrow in a 6abc interview, police were conducting searches and evacuations, with the gravity of the situation only later revealing itself to be a false alarm.
Governor Josh Shapiro echoed the sentiment of unlawfulness regarding this incident, denoting the seriousness and illegality of "swatting" or hoax calls. "I know today was every parent's nightmare, and every student's biggest fear," Shapiro stated, as 6abc captured the governor's response. The investigation, including the FBI among others, aims to identify those responsible for the hoax.
Radnor Township police acknowledged the cooperative response from the community during the incident. In a statement obtained by NBC News, the department praised locals: "We could not be more proud of our Villanova community for following the shelter in place practices and allowing law enforcement to methodically investigate the incident." The campus, located near Philadelphia, was cleared without any injuries reported, officials said.
