New Orleans police have apprehended a former University of New Orleans student, Joseph Russo, following threats to set fire to the university's campus, as reported by NOPD News. Russo, 41, was taken into custody in the 2300 block of Saint Philip Street, accused of making a phone call to the university around 9 a.m., claiming he intended to burn down buildings.
NOPD, along with the FBI, Louisiana State Police, UNO Police, and Levee District Police, coordinated efforts to locate Russo after the call prompted a swift evacuation of the campus and placed nearby schools Hynes UNO Charter and Ben Franklin High School on lockdown, a lockdown that has since been lifted and the arrest of Russo without incident took place. He faces charges of terrorizing and unlawful disruption of the operation of a school, this information was detailed in a statement obtained by WWLTV.com, highlighting the immediate actions taken by authorities to safeguard students and staff.
Russo, identified as a former student at the University of New Orleans received one count each of terrorizing and unlawful disruption of the operation of a school; he reportedly made threats to the institution at approximately 10:45 p.m., prompting the issuance of an urgent alert and an emergency evacuation as advised by WDSU. The university confirmed in a statement that "Campus officials were notified of a credible threat yesterday at approximately 10:00 am and immediately initiated the appropriate protocols," ensuring that the threat was managed and the campus subsequently reopened.
There were no injuries linked to the threats or evacuation processes, and the university community has resumed activities, the NOPD is encouraging anyone with information about this occurrence to contact NOPD Third District detectives at 504-658-6030, officials continue their investigation to fully understand the extent of Russo's threats towards the university community and to put in place measures to prevent similar incidents from happening in future.
