Rutgers Bomb Threat Under Investigation Thursday: Police

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - A bomb threat for various buildings on the Rutgers University New Brunswick campus called in early Thursday was deemed likely not credible, authorities said.

The Rutgers University Police Department Communications Center received a call from an unknown called at around 2:15 a.m. threatening various buildings on the College Avenue Campus, Rutgers police said in a statement.

University police officers and bomb detection dogs from the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office subsequently conducted searches of buildings on the College Avenue Campus, which yielded negative results for bombs or suspicious devices, police said.

“The initial investigation confirmed that the incident was likely the result of a purposeful, non-credible threat known as ‘swatting,’” police added.

The identity of the caller is unknown at this time. The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with additional information about the incident is urged to contact the Rutgers University Police Department Detective Bureau at 848-932-8025.

Two New Jersey college campuses were impacted by a threat earlier this week, prompting multiple lockdowns on Tuesday.

Shelter-in-place orders were issued at Fairleigh Dickinson University and Saint Elizabeth University, as well as nearby public schools, following an alert of a possible suspect with a weapon near the campus of Saint Elizabeth University. Read more: St. Elizabeth University Lockdown Leaves Unanswered Questions

Last month, staff and students at Monmouth University were ordered to shelter in place due to a report of a possible armed person at the campus, though law enforcement later determined that the armed person in question was actually holding a curling iron mistaken for a weapon. Read more: Curling Iron Mistaken For Weapon Triggered NJ Campus Lockdown