A digitally altered Cat in the Hat image threatening to shoot up schools at noon sent a jolt of fear through Albuquerque-area campuses Wednesday, naming more than two dozen New Mexico schools before law enforcement determined there was nothing to it. The post, which circulated on TikTok, listed schools across Albuquerque, Farmington and Bloomfield and told students they would be harmed at noon. Police increased patrols anyway, just in case.
According to KOAT, the viral image threatened 30 New Mexico schools with potential shootings and featured the digitally altered Cat in the Hat character alongside the list of targeted campuses. The threat involved more than two dozen New Mexico schools, including multiple APS campuses and charter schools. The list reportedly included Highland, Manzano and Albuquerque High Schools, along with Jefferson, Kennedy, Desert Ridge, McKinley and Washington middle schools.
Per KRQE, the online message indicated students would be harmed on Wednesday at noon, and multiple APS campuses and charter schools were listed as targets. APS police, the Albuquerque Police Department and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office were all notified and investigated the threat. Both agencies ultimately determined it was not a real threat, the station reported, and police presence was increased district-wide as a precaution.
No Credible Threat, Officials Say
APD public information officer Rebecca Atkins said there was no credible threat associated with the post and asked the public to stop sharing or reposting the image, according to KOB 4's reporting. APS enlisted the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office to investigate the threat.
APS said in a letter to parents that it found no evidence the threat was anything other than a hoax. The district enlisted the Albuquerque Police Department and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office to investigate and encouraged students, parents and community members to report threats immediately rather than repost or share them. APS listed 505-243-7712 as its police department's reporting number. Police presence was increased district-wide as a precaution.
Students Describe a Familiar, Unsettling Routine
A 16-year-old Manzano High School student said he felt somewhat used to threats circulating but still found this one scary, according to KOB 4's account. He said he went home after learning of the post and returned to school after the alleged shooting time had passed. Students at Manzano said this was not the first such incident at their school. An 18-year-old, identified in the same report as James Robession, said he considered the threat evil because it targeted a school.
The hoax was not confined to Albuquerque. The same social media threat also named schools in Farmington and Bloomfield, and the Farmington Police Department said it was investigating the post and increased presence at the listed schools as a precaution. In Bloomfield, the threat mentioned seven schools, and the school district said the FBI had investigated threats there in prior months and deemed them hoaxes. Bloomfield Police Chief Philip Francisco said officers looked into the post, notified the affected school, advised notifying the broader community, and found nothing credible.
FBI Says Prank Threats Carry Real Legal Risk
FBI Albuquerque special agent in charge Justin Garris said the bureau conducts threat assessments or investigations alongside local, state, federal and tribal partners to determine whether threats are real. The FBI told KOB 4 that the Cat in the Hat threat had recently circulated across the country and was believed to be a hoax, but stressed it investigates every threat with the same rigor as any threat to communities. The bureau asked anyone who sees online threats to report them to local law enforcement, school administrators or the FBI directly, and listed 1-800-CALL-FBI and tips.fbi.gov as reporting channels, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI has warned that threats can carry serious consequences.
Under federal law, a hoax threat is a federal offense that can carry up to a five-year prison sentence, and perpetrators who are caught can face that same exposure, according to KOB 4's reporting. Law enforcement agencies and school districts have repeatedly advised the public to report threat posts immediately rather than repost them, a message echoed by the FBI, which separately advised parents to discuss online threats with their children and avoid forwarding or sharing them. As of KOB 4's reporting, there was no word on any suspects in the New Mexico case.
Part of a Wider AI-Fueled Trend
The hoax trend has circulated nationwide since the start of the school year, and the Cat in the Hat imagery appears tied to a broader social-media phenomenon that has unsettled schools well beyond New Mexico. According to ABC News, the trend includes videos and images showing an ominous version of the Dr. Seuss character near homes, schools and other locations, with some content appearing to be generated using artificial intelligence, and some posts naming specific schools, communities or students alongside threatening language. An eighth-grade student in Connecticut was arrested in connection with one such threat.
The posts originally circulated in Ireland and the United Kingdom in August before spreading to the United States. In Colorado, ABC News reported a 14-year-old Grand Junction High School student was taken into custody over a related post before being released to his parents, after police and school security determined there was no credible threat to students, staff or the community.
