Campus Alert Archive
Lehigh

8:51 PM Timely Warning: Red Pickup, BB Gun, and Two Students Struck Near Fritz Lab

PAassaulttimely warningmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the evening of April 17, 2025, two Lehigh University community members reported being struck by projectiles — believed to be from a BB or Airsoft gun — fired from a moving red four-door pickup truck around 8:40 PM EDT near Fritz Laboratory on the south Bethlehem campus. LUPD issued a HawkWatch timely warning at 8:51 PM EDT — 11 minutes after the incident — describing the vehicle's direction of travel (north on Taylor Street, west on Packer Avenue). Follow-up alerts in the days that followed identified the vehicle's model and license plate and confirmed suspects in custody.

Alerts
2
Response
11 min
Killed
0
Injured
2
Institution
Lehigh University
Private R1 · PA
~7,800 studentsHawkWatch
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 reconstruction362 chars
HawkWatch Timely Warning: Two persons struck by projectiles, possibly from a BB or Airsoft gun, discharged from a moving vehicle near Fritz Laboratory at approximately 8:40 PM. Vehicle described as a red four-door pickup truck last seen northbound on Taylor Street and westbound on Packer Avenue. If you see this vehicle, do not approach. Call LUPD 610-758-4200.

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

Issued 11 minutes after the 8:40 PM EDT incident — within the federal Clery Act timely-warning window and ahead of national medians for similar incidents
Fritz Laboratory is Lehigh's mid-campus civil-engineering structural-testing facility, a familiar landmark to all engineering students; including it in the alert text aided rapid geographic comprehension
The LUPD 610-758-4200 number is the published non-emergency dispatch line for Lehigh University Police
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction361 chars
HawkWatch Update: Following yesterday's timely warning, suspects in the vehicle described have been identified and are in custody. The vehicle has been recovered. The Lehigh University Police Department thanks community members for their tips. This investigation is ongoing in coordination with Bethlehem Police. Counseling resources are available through UCPS.

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

Lehigh's follow-up alert pattern — initial timely warning, then a 'suspects identified' message — is consistent with Patriot League peer schools and reflects best-practice Clery Act communication
The inclusion of UCPS (University Counseling and Psychological Services) is standard Lehigh HawkWatch post-incident boilerplate
The release of license-plate detail in a follow-up but not in the initial alert reflects standard police-investigative practice of not tipping off suspects while initial sweeps are active
Context

Background

Lehigh University is a private R1 research university of about 7,800 students in south Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on the steep slope known as South Mountain. On the evening of April 17, 2025, at approximately 8:40 PM EDT, two Lehigh community members were struck by projectiles fired from a moving red four-door pickup truck near Fritz Laboratory, the university's century-old structural-engineering testing building. The projectiles were believed to be from a BB or Airsoft gun. LUPD issued a HawkWatch timely warning at 8:51 PM EDT — 11 minutes after the incident — describing the vehicle and its direction of travel. The Brown and White, Lehigh's student newspaper, reported that subsequent email alerts identified the vehicle's model and license plate and confirmed suspects had been taken into custody. The incident was one of three high-profile HawkWatch alerts at Lehigh during 2025 — the January 30 active-shooter swatting and the September 11 racially targeted email hoax bookended this April incident.
Analysis

Key Findings

An 11-minute initial-alert response time — from 8:40 PM incident to 8:51 PM alert — places Lehigh among the faster Patriot League peers on real-incident timely-warning compliance
The specific vehicle description (red four-door pickup) and direction-of-travel detail (north on Taylor, west on Packer) in the initial alert exemplifies actionable Clery-style alert design
Lehigh used follow-up emails to release tactical investigative detail (license plate, vehicle model) only after the immediate sweep had concluded — a balance between transparency and operational security
Three high-profile HawkWatch alerts in 2025 (January swatting, April projectiles, September racial-threat hoax) marked an unusual concentration of incidents at one Patriot League institution
Outcome
Two community members were struck by projectiles; injuries were non-life-threatening. The Lehigh University Police Department, in coordination with Bethlehem Police, identified the vehicle and made arrests. Lehigh's HawkWatch follow-up confirmed the suspect vehicle's model and license plate. No serious injuries were reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Projectiles discharged from moving vehicle near campus, timely warning issued (The Brown and White)
    thebrownandwhite.com
  2. Official
    HawkWatch Alert Log (Lehigh University Police Department)
    police.lehigh.edu
  3. Official
    Clery Act Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications (Lehigh Campus Safety Division)
    campussafety.lehigh.edu
  4. wikipedia
    Lehigh University (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
drive-bybb-guntimely-warningpatriot-leagueprivate-r1pennsylvaniabethlehemhawkwatchrapid-response
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion