Campus Alert Archive
BYU

April Fool's Was the Caption: Inside the BYU Bomb-Threat Video That BYU Police Did Not Find Funny

UTbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

A 23-year-old South Jordan man, Alexander Patrick Farmer, posted Instagram and Facebook videos on April 1, 2024 captioned 'I have had bombs placed on every BYU classroom. Set to ignite at an undisclosed time. Class is canceled.' BYU Police identified Farmer in part because his own father reported him, and he was booked into Utah County Jail for investigation of making a threat of terrorism. BYU's Y-Alert system pushed advisories during the police response.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Brigham Young University
Private R1 · UT
~34,737 studentsY-Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction219 chars
Y-Alert: BYU Police are investigating a social media post threatening bombs in BYU classrooms. There is NO active threat at this time. Continue normal activities. Report any suspicious items or activity to 801-422-2222.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

BYU's response was deliberately calibrated to avoid amplifying the threat: the alert told community members to continue normal activities while flagging the police investigation
Including the BYU Police non-emergency number (801-422-2222) is standard for advisory-tier Y-Alerts that do not require shelter-in-place
The decision not to cancel classes was driven by the clearly performative nature of the April Fool's video and the rapid identification of the suspect
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction299 chars
Y-Alert Update: A suspect has been identified and is in custody in connection with this morning's social media bomb threat. BYU Police have determined there was no actual threat to campus. The investigation continues with the Utah County Attorney's Office. Thank you for your patience and vigilance.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The follow-up confirmed Farmer's arrest without naming him — BYU typically defers to law enforcement and the courts on identification
Referencing the Utah County Attorney's Office indicates BYU's awareness that the case would proceed as a felony terrorism-threat charge
Context

Background

Alexander Patrick Farmer's case became one of the most-cited campus April Fool's incidents of 2024, in part because BYU Police explicitly stated in a KSL.com interview that they 'aren't laughing.' Farmer posted a video to Instagram and Facebook on April 1 with the caption 'I have had bombs placed on every BYU classroom. Set to ignite at an undisclosed time. Class is canceled.' Officers were able to identify Farmer 'in part because one of the reporting parties was the suspect's father.' During the investigation, police located a March 19 video Farmer posted in which he 'discussed his intent to make an April Fool's joke in the form of a terroristic threat,' establishing premeditation. According to a probable cause statement quoted by ABC4, officers were concerned 'that the suspect may be emotionally unstable and may pose an ongoing risk' given prior content involving 'bombs, school violence, and self-harm.' Farmer was booked for investigation of making a threat of terrorism, a second-degree felony in Utah. The case underscores how social-media bomb threats — even those framed as 'jokes' — generate full police responses under post-2010s Utah law and how universities like BYU calibrate Y-Alerts to advisory rather than evacuation tier when the threat is clearly performative.
Analysis

Key Findings

BYU's Y-Alert response was advisory-tier, telling community members to continue normal activities while flagging the police investigation rather than evacuating campus
Farmer's father reported him to police — a fact BYU PD publicly acknowledged as central to the rapid identification of the suspect
A March 19 video showed Farmer discussing his intent to make an April Fool's 'joke' in the form of a terroristic threat, establishing premeditation
Farmer was charged with making a threat of terrorism, a second-degree felony in Utah, demonstrating how April Fool's framings do not legally insulate online bomb threats
Outcome
Alexander Patrick Farmer, 23, was arrested and booked into Utah County Jail for investigation of making a threat of terrorism. No bombs were found. BYU did not cancel classes, but Y-Alert pushed advisories about the threat and the police response. Farmer's prior March 19 video had foreshadowed the planned April Fool's 'joke.'
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    BYU police aren't laughing at April 1 bomb threat videos
    ksl.com
  2. News
    Man arrested for bomb threat against BYU, claims it was an April Fool's joke
    abc4.com
  3. News
    BYU police aren't laughing at April 1 bomb threat videos (Deseret/East Idaho)
    eastidahonews.com
  4. Official
    Y-Alert! — BYU Emergency Management
    emergencymanagement.byu.edu
Tags
bomb-threatsocial-mediaapril-foolshoaxterrorism-threatbyuutahprivate-r1Hoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion