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Campus Alert Archive
EFSC

Bomb threats evacuate two campuses; FBI ties calls to a nationwide hoax wave

AI-generated · every claim is source-linked
FLbomb 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 July 12, 2022, Eastern Florida State College evacuated both its Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses around 12:15 p.m. EDT after receiving bomb threats. Law enforcement swept both campuses, found no evidence of any explosive, and issued an all-clear by approximately 1:30 p.m. EDT The college stated the FBI believed the threats were part of a nationwide series of hoaxes originating from Ethiopia. The same day, six institutions in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and others across the country received similar calls.

Alerts
2
Response
Killed
Injured
Institution
Eastern Florida State College
Community College · FL
All EFSC cases →
~16,000 students
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 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
Wording not preserved
A initial alert message is documented at this point in the sequence, but its exact wording is not preserved in the public record. The public edition displays only confirmed alert text.
ALL CLEARTwitter/X
All buildings are safe for return and on-campus classes have resumed.
This is the college's posted all-clear as quoted by FOX 35 Orlando and Click Orlando; an earlier version of this entry padded the message with reconstructed sentences that have been removed
Both campuses were clear within approximately one hour of the initial evacuation at 12:15 p.m. EDT
The brevity of the sweep was consistent with threats that were vague about building or location, allowing law enforcement to focus on exterior searches
Context

Background

Eastern Florida State College, a public community college with campuses across Brevard County, evacuated its Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses on July 12, 2022, after bomb threats were received. The college informed media that the FBI had identified the threats as part of a nationwide series of hoaxes believed to originate from Ethiopia. The Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses were swept by law enforcement, found clear, and reopened within about an hour. The same day, July 12, also saw coordinated bomb threats reach six institutions in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia: Regent University, Tidewater Community College, Virginia Peninsula Community College, Paul D. Camp Community College, Eastern Shore Community College, and Norfolk State University, with calls arriving between 11:11 a.m. EDT and 1:23 p.m. EDT. The nationwide pattern in July 2022 differed notably from the January-February HBCU wave: it targeted community colleges, technical institutions, and regional universities regardless of demographics, and law enforcement traced multiple calls to overseas numbers. EFSC's incident illustrates how the summer 2022 wave placed the burden of response on smaller institutions with fewer dedicated security resources than major research universities.
Outcome
Both Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses evacuated and swept. All-clear issued approximately 1:30 p.m. FBI linked the threats to a nationwide wave of hoaxes originating from overseas callers in Ethiopia. No device found; no injuries.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
  2. News
  3. News
  4. News
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Eastern Florida State College: Bomb threats evacuate two campuses; FBI ties calls to a nationwide hoax wave." Incident of July 12, 2022. Added May 2026; last updated June 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/eastern-florida-state-college-bomb-threat-2022-07-12/

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

Tags
bomb-threatcommunity-collegeoverseas-callernational-wavefloridabrevard-countycocoapalm-baysummer-2022fbi-tracedUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion