Feds Charge Former Vassar Student Over Move-In Day Campus Bomb Threat

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — A former student has been charged in a bomb threat on move-in day on the Vassar College campus. The threatening social media post also falsely warned of an "active shooter on campus."

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI Christopher G. Raia, announced the arrest of Nigel Trenh in connection with a bomb hoax that resulted in the evacuation of a Vassar College dorm in August.

Trenh was arrested by the FBI on Monday, in Los Angeles. and presented before a U.S. Magistrate in the Central District of California. He will make his initial appearance in White Plains federal court on Dec. 18.

"As alleged, Nigel Trenh used social media to spread false information about a bomb and active shooter on a college campus, forcing an evacuation of students, family members, and college staff on their move-in day," Clayton said. "Hoaxes related to explosives and violence sow fear and panic, and waste limited law enforcement and emergency resources."

See Also: Bomb Threat At Vassar College Friday Morning Deemed Hoax

Trenh, a former student at the school, published an anonymous post on Aug. 29, on the social media platform Fizz, which warned of a bomb in the third-floor restroom of a dormitory and an active shooter on campus, according to federal prosecutors.

When Vasssar students saw the post on the morning of Aug. 29, they reported it to security, who in turn reported the threat to police. Within minutes, law enforcement from multiple agencies responded to the report and converged on campus, evacuating the dormitory to conduct a full sweep of the premises with the support of K9 units. The sweep ultimately confirmed that the post was a hoax.

Feds say the message posted on Fizz was part of a broader pattern of threatening and harassing communications sent by Trenh targeting Vassar personnel, including e-mails and messages making reference to on-campus violence and school shootings. Trenh's communications continued even after he was questioned by federal law enforcement officers about the Aug. 29 bomb hoax.

"Nigel Trenh allegedly posted misleading warnings of a bomb and active shooter at his former college, resulting in the full evacuation of a dormitory and first responders rushing to an empty scene," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. "Trenh's alleged hoax unnecessarily incited fear on one of our local campuses and diverted law enforcement resources from legitimate calls. May this arrest serve as a deterrent to others; the FBI is committed to investigating any individual who cries wolf about mass violence, regardless of where they may be located."

Trenh is charged with maliciously conveying false information involving an explosive, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and false information and a hoax involving explosives and firearms, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Clayton praised the investigative work of the FBI New York Office Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, together with the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the New York State Police, and the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office's White Plains Division.