Campus Alert Archive
Creighton

An Anonymous Call, Three Libraries Swept, No Device at Creighton

NEbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On Thursday, March 17, 2022, someone called Creighton University's main line in Omaha and claimed there was an explosive device in the library. Creighton Public Safety responded and walked through all three of the university's libraries, finding no evidence of a device or suspicious packages. The university used its CUAlert system to notify the campus while officers investigated.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Creighton University
Private R2 · NE
CUAlert
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 reconstruction221 chars
CUAlert: Public Safety is investigating a report of a possible explosive device in a campus library. Avoid the library buildings until further notice and follow instructions from Public Safety. More information to follow.

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

The anonymous caller phoned Creighton's main line on March 17, 2022 and claimed there was an explosive device in the library, prompting a Public Safety response.
Officers searched all three Creighton libraries; the threat did not specify which one, which is why the response covered all of them.
Exact CUAlert wording and timing were not published, so this is an honest reconstruction with an approximate timestamp.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction198 chars
CUAlert: All clear. Public Safety has searched the campus libraries and found no evidence of an explosive device or suspicious packages. Normal operations may resume. Thank you for your cooperation.

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

Creighton Public Safety found no evidence of an explosive device or suspicious packages after sweeping all three libraries.
This is a true all-clear: it lifted the avoidance instruction and stated normal operations could resume.
WOWT reported the no-evidence finding the same day; the precise all-clear wording and time were not published.
Context

Background

Creighton University is a private Jesuit institution in Omaha, Nebraska (Central Time). On Thursday, March 17, 2022, an anonymous caller phoned the university's main line and said there was an explosive device in the library. According to WOWT, Creighton Public Safety responded and conducted a thorough walkthrough of all three campus libraries, finding no device or suspicious packages. The university notified the campus through its CUAlert system, which Creighton uses to push emergency messages by text, email, and other channels. The episode fit a broader pattern of anonymous threats Creighton has fielded, including a 2021 Zoom-bombing threat that prompted a CU Alert. The case adds a private-R2 bomb-threat data point and illustrates how a non-specific library threat forces a multi-building sweep.
Analysis

Key Findings

An anonymous caller claimed there was an explosive device in a Creighton University library on March 17, 2022
Creighton Public Safety searched all three campus libraries and found no device or suspicious packages
The university used its CUAlert system to notify the campus during the investigation
The incident fit a pattern of anonymous threats at Creighton, including a 2021 Zoom-bombing threat
Outcome
Creighton Public Safety found no evidence of an explosive device or suspicious packages after searching all three libraries. The campus resumed normal operations.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Creighton University finds no evidence of threat after anonymous call - WOWT
    wowt.com
  2. Official
    CUAlert - Creighton University
    my.creighton.edu
  3. Student Paper
    Zoom threat to Creighton's campus prompts investigation - The Creightonian
    creightonian.com
Tags
bomb-threatemergency-notificationnebraskacreightonlibraryanonymous-threatunfoundedUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion