Campus Alert Archive
CMC

Swatting call locks down all five consortium campuses for more than two hours

AI-generated · every claim is source-linked
CAswattingemergency notificationhigh confidence
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Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On the afternoon of March 13, 2025, the Claremont Police Department received a swatting call from an unknown person who claimed to be holding someone captive in a Claremont McKenna College restroom and threatened to detonate a bomb and shoot anyone they saw. Campus Safety issued a series of alerts to all five Claremont Consortium colleges (Pomona, CMC, Scripps, Pitzer, Harvey Mudd) directing students to shelter in place. After more than two hours, Claremont PD confirmed the call was a swatting hoax.

Alerts
4
Response
5 min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Claremont McKenna College
Private Liberal Arts · CA
All CMC cases →
~1,400 students5C Campus Safety Alert
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

4 messages in sequence · 3 verified verbatim

Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimThe Student Life (5C student newspaper) coverage of the 4:55 p.m. PDT initial 5C Campus Safety Alert137 chars
5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT: Police activity reported on or near Claremont McKenna College campus. STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA. Updates to follow.
The 4:55 p.m. PDT alert was sent across all five Claremont Colleges via the shared 5C Campus Safety Alert system
The initial language ('Police activity ... STAY AWAY') was deliberately under-specific compared to follow-up alerts that named the threat directly
The 5C consortium's shared alert system means a single Pomona-issued alert reaches CMC, Scripps, Pitzer, and Harvey Mudd simultaneously
UPDATESMS+15 min
Verified verbatimThe Student Life coverage of the 5:10 p.m. PDT escalated alert naming a potential shooter on CMC's campus178 chars
5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT: POTENTIAL SHOOTER ON CMC CAMPUS. Police are responding. If on campus, lock doors, turn off lights, stay away from windows. If off campus, stay off campus.
The 15-minute escalation from 'police activity' to 'POTENTIAL SHOOTER ON CMC CAMPUS' reflects how the swatter's bomb-and-rifle threat was passed to the alert system
The all-caps 'POTENTIAL SHOOTER' language signaled life-safety urgency to recipients
Instructing 'If off campus, stay off campus' is now a standard 5C alert phrase developed after past swatting events
UPDATESMS+20 min
Verified verbatimThe Student Life coverage of the 5:15 p.m. PDT shelter-in-place alert157 chars
5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT: SHELTER IN PLACE. IF YOU ARE OFF CAMUS STAY OFF CAMPUS. CMC is being searched by police. Continue sheltering. More updates to follow.
The misspelling 'CAMUS' instead of 'CAMPUS' is preserved verbatim, a real typo in a high-pressure alert sequence
Repeating the previous instruction within five minutes (5:10 → 5:15 PDT) reflects how compressed the alert tempo was during the active sweep
Saying CMC was 'being searched by police' was accurate and informative without revealing operational details
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT: Police activity reported on or near Claremont McKenna College campus. STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA. Updates to follow.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All reads agree the branded signature "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT" identifies the sender.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT:", a branded signature identifying the sender.
    2. present: The branded signature "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT" identifies the sender.
    3. present: The branded tag "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT" identifies the sender.
    4. present: It opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", a branded sender signature, and names "Police".
    5. present: It opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", a branded sender signature.
    6. present: It is labeled "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT" and references "Police activity", identifying the sender.
    7. present: Opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", identifying the issuing system.
    8. present: Opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT" and references "Police", identifying the sender.
    9. present: Opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", the branded signature identifying the sender.
    10. present: It is headed "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", a branded sender tag.
    11. present: Opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", identifying the sender.
    12. present: Opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", identifying the sender.
    13. present: The branded signature "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT" identifies the sender, and "Police" is referenced.
    14. present: Opens with the branded signature "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", identifying the sender, and cites "Police".
    15. present: Opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT" and names "Police", a signature and authority.
    16. present: Opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", identifying the sender.
    17. present: Opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", a branded signature identifying the sender.
    18. present: The message opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", identifying the sender.
    19. present: The message opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", a branded sender signature.
    20. present: It opens with the branded sender "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", identifying the issuer.
    21. present: Signs "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", identifying the sender.
    22. present: It opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", a branded sender signature, and names "Police".
    23. present: It is a "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT" naming "Police activity", identifying the source.
    24. present: Opens with the branded signature "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT" and names "Police".
    25. present: It opens with "5C CAMPUS SAFETY ALERT", a branded signature identifying the sender.
  • Hazardabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that no specific hazard is named; it cites only generic "Police activity".

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: It cites "Police activity" but never names a specific threat.
    2. absent: It names only "Police activity", which is not a specific hazard.
    3. absent: It cites "Police activity", naming no specific hazard.
    4. absent: It cites "Police activity" but names no specific hazard.
    5. absent: It cites only "Police activity" without naming a specific threat.
    6. absent: No specific hazard is named; "Police activity" does not name the threat.
    7. absent: Cites "Police activity" but names no specific threat.
    8. absent: It cites "Police activity" but names no specific threat in this text.
    9. absent: Says only "Police activity reported" with no specific hazard named.
    10. absent: No specific threat is named; "Police activity" does not state the hazard.
    11. absent: "Police activity" is generic and names no specific hazard.
    12. absent: It says "Police activity", which is generic and does not name a specific hazard.
    13. absent: It cites "Police activity" but names no specific hazard.
    14. absent: No specific hazard is named; it cites only "Police activity", not the threat.
    15. absent: Refers only to "Police activity", naming no specific hazard.
    16. absent: Only "Police activity" is cited, with no specific hazard named.
    17. absent: No specific hazard is named, only "Police activity", which does not name a threat.
    18. absent: It cites "Police activity" but names no specific hazard.
    19. absent: It cites "Police activity" but names no specific hazard.
    20. absent: It cites only "Police activity", a generic phrase naming no specific hazard.
    21. absent: Only "Police activity" appears, no specific hazard named.
    22. absent: Only "Police activity" is stated; no specific hazard type like shooter or bomb is named.
    23. absent: It cites generic "Police activity"; no specific hazard is named.
    24. absent: No specific threat is named; only generic "Police activity".
    25. absent: It cites "Police activity" but names no specific hazard.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All reads agree a specific location is named, "Claremont McKenna College campus".

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "Claremont McKenna College campus" and "the area", specific places.
    2. present: It names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific location.
    3. present: It names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific location.
    4. present: It names "on or near Claremont McKenna College campus", a place.
    5. present: It names "Claremont McKenna College campus".
    6. present: It names "on or near Claremont McKenna College campus" and "THE AREA", specific places.
    7. present: Names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific campus.
    8. present: It names "on or near Claremont McKenna College campus" and "THE AREA", location references.
    9. present: Names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific place.
    10. present: It names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a location.
    11. present: Says "on or near Claremont McKenna College campus", a location.
    12. present: It names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific location.
    13. present: It names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific place.
    14. present: Specifies "on or near Claremont McKenna College campus", a named place.
    15. present: Names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific location.
    16. present: Names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific campus.
    17. present: Names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific place.
    18. present: It names "on or near Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific location.
    19. present: It names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific location.
    20. present: It names "on or near Claremont McKenna College campus", a location.
    21. present: Names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific place.
    22. present: It names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific place.
    23. present: It names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific place.
    24. present: Names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a location.
    25. present: It names "Claremont McKenna College campus", a specific place.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that a protective action is given: "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA".

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    2. present: It instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA".
    3. present: It instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA".
    4. present: It instructs "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    5. present: It instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA".
    6. present: It instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    7. present: Instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    8. present: It instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    9. present: Instructs "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    10. present: It instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    11. present: Instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    12. present: It instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA".
    13. present: It instructs "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    14. present: Instructs "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    15. present: Instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    16. present: Instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    17. present: Instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA".
    18. present: It instructs people to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    19. present: It instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    20. present: It tells recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    21. present: Instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA".
    22. present: It instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    23. present: It instructs "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    24. present: Instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
    25. present: It instructs recipients to "STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA", a protective action.
  • Timeabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that no clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" appears.
    2. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    3. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears.
    4. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    5. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears.
    6. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears.
    7. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    8. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears.
    9. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears.
    10. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    11. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    12. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    13. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    14. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as now or immediately appears.
    15. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears.
    16. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears, only "Updates to follow".
    17. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    18. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    19. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears in the text.
    20. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears in the message.
    21. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    22. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears.
    23. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    24. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    25. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
  • Impactabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Absent unanimously across all 25 reads. The alert reports police activity and directs people to stay away but names no hazard consequence or potential harm to people.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: It reports police activity and says stay away from the area but states no explicit harm or danger.
    2. absent: This reports police activity and to stay away but states no explicit danger or potential harm.
    3. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away but states no harm or how serious the situation is.
    4. absent: It reports police activity and says stay away but states no harm, injury, or explicit danger.
    5. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away with no stated harm or consequence.
    6. absent: This reports police activity and tells people to stay away with no stated harm or potential consequence.
    7. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away but states no harm, injury, or potential consequence.
    8. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away but states no harm or severity.
    9. absent: Reports police activity and stay away but states no harm or explicit danger.
    10. absent: It reports police activity and tells people to stay away but states no specific danger or harm.
    11. absent: Reports police activity and says stay away from the area without stating any harm or danger.
    12. absent: It reports police activity and says stay away but states no harm or consequence of the situation.
    13. absent: Reporting police activity and to stay away is guidance without a stated consequence or severity of the hazard.
    14. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away but states no harm or what the situation could do.
    15. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away but states no danger or potential consequence.
    16. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away but names no specific harm or consequence.
    17. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away but states no harm or how serious the situation is.
    18. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away without stating any harm or severity.
    19. absent: Reports police activity and says stay away but conveys no stated harm or consequence.
    20. absent: Reports police activity and says stay away but states no harm or potential consequence.
    21. absent: Reports police activity and says stay away but gives no statement of what danger it could pose.
    22. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away but states no explicit danger or potential harm.
    23. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away but names no harm or potential consequence.
    24. absent: Reports police activity and to stay away but states no harm or severity.
    25. absent: Reporting police activity and to stay away does not state any harm or how serious the situation is.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

The Claremont Colleges (Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Scripps, Pitzer, and Harvey Mudd) are a consortium of five undergraduate liberal arts colleges sharing a single contiguous campus footprint in Claremont, California. They share a single Campus Safety service and a unified 5C alert system. On the afternoon of March 13, 2025, the Claremont Police Department received a swatting call from an anonymous person claiming to be in a Claremont McKenna College restroom holding someone captive, threatening to detonate a bomb and shoot anyone they saw. The 5C Campus Safety Alert system pushed an escalating series of messages, starting with a 4:55 p.m. PDT 'police activity' notice, escalating to a 5:10 p.m. PDT 'POTENTIAL SHOOTER ON CMC CAMPUS' alert, and then a 5:15 p.m. PDT shelter-in-place. Pomona canceled all afternoon classes and students huddled in dorms, libraries, and dining halls for over two hours. At 7:36 p.m. PDT, the all-clear arrived. Swatting calls prompted large police responses at other California colleges around the same period, part of a broader pattern. The case is significant for documenting how a single swatting call can simultaneously lock down five colleges sharing a common alert system.
Analysis

Key Findings

A single swatting call locked down all five Claremont Colleges (Pomona, CMC, Scripps, Pitzer, Harvey Mudd) simultaneously through their shared 5C Campus Safety Alert system
The verbatim alert text included a typo ('CAMUS' instead of 'CAMPUS') preserved as documented in The Student Life student newspaper
The lockdown lasted more than two hours and 40 minutes, from 4:55 p.m. PDT initial alert to 7:36 p.m. PDT all-clear on March 13, 2025
The all-clear explicitly used the word 'swatting,' framing the incident as a known phenomenon rather than a generic 'unfounded report'
Pomona College canceled all afternoon classes during the lockdown
The Claremont incident illustrates how shared alert systems amplify the reach (and disruption) of a single swatting call across multi-campus consortia
Outcome
No injuries occurred and no suspect or device was found. Claremont Police searched the campus thoroughly and confirmed the call was a swatting hoax. Pomona College canceled all classes that afternoon. The Claremont Police Department announced an investigation into the false report.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Swatting call prompts lockdown across the 5Cs - The Student Life (Claremont student newspaper)
    tsl.news
    archived copy
  2. Student Paper
    5C students recall fear and confusion after swatting incident - The Student Life
    tsl.news
    archived copy
  3. News
    Claremont McKenna College lifts lockdown after hoax bomb, shooting call - NBC Los Angeles
    nbclosangeles.com
    archived copy
  4. Student Paper
    False Shooter Threat Appears to be 'Swatting' Incident - Claremont Independent
    claremontindependent.com
    archived copy
  5. Social
    Swatting Call at Claremont McKenna College - Claremont Police Department Facebook
    facebook.com
    archived copy
  6. Official
    Emergency Information | Pomona College in Claremont, California
    pomona.edu
    archived copy
  7. Official
    Crimes on Campus | Pomona College Emergency
    pomona.edu
    archived copy
  8. Student Paper
    Campus Safety warns of potential shooter at CMC - The Student Life
    tsl.news
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Claremont McKenna College: Swatting call locks down all five consortium campuses for more than two hours." Incident of March 13, 2025. Added May 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/claremont-mckenna-pomona-swatting-2025-03-13/

Download case JSON

Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
swattingprivate-liberal-artsclaremont-collegesclaremont-mckennapomona-college5c-consortiumcaliforniahoaxshared-alert-systemlockdownshelter-in-placeHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion