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.
NAU
Hoax report of a rifle in the library forces an evacuation on the first day of classes
AI-generated · every claim is source-linkedConfirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.
On August 25, 2025, NAU Police received a 911 call just before 9:30 AM MST from a person identifying himself as 'Jacob' who claimed a man with a rifle was inside Cline Library, with fake gunshot sounds in the background. The NAU SAFE alert system notified students at 9:26 AM MST on their first day of fall classes, and the library was evacuated and cleared by 11:36 AM MST.
- Alerts
- 5
- Response
- —
- Killed
- —
- Injured
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~29,000 studentsNAU Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how NAU says it will use NAU Alert: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline
Alert Sequence
5 messages in sequence · 2 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.
Wording not preserved
A update 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.
Wording not preserved
A update 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.
🔔 Campus Update 🔔
Earlier today, the NAU Police Department received a report of a person with a gun at Cline Library on the Flagstaff mountain campus.
The report was determined to be a hoax, and at no time was there an active threat to the NAU community
Official @NAU same-day caption: hoax determination for Cline Library report.
Attached graphic (seq5) carries the separate final all-clear body text.
Snowflake 1960052512201068824 → 2025-08-25T18:51:49Z.
🔔 Campus Update 🔔
Earlier today, the NAU Police Department received a report of a person with a gun at Cline Library on the Flagstaff mountain campus.
The report was determined to be a hoax, and at no time was there an active threat to the NAU community
Corrected: seq5 is the attached Campus Update graphic all-clear text (distinct from the caption about the hoax).
Full text legible on official @NAU status image; snowflake 1960052512201068824 → 2025-08-25T18:51:49Z.
Caption (seq4) and graphic body (seq5) are different official messages in the same post.
Context
Background
On August 25, 2025, the first day of fall classes at Northern Arizona University, the NAUPD received a 911 call just before 9:30 AM MST from a person who identified himself as 'Jacob' and claimed a man with a rifle was inside Cline Library on the Flagstaff Mountain Campus. Fake gunshot sounds were audible in the background of the call, a hallmark of the Purgatory swatting group's tactics. The NAU SAFE alert system notified students at 9:26 AM MST, and the library was evacuated as NAUPD, Flagstaff Police, Coconino County Sheriff's deputies, and federal agents swarmed the campus. Students on their way to morning classes were redirected as officers cleared the building floor by floor. The main area was cleared by 10:29 AM MST, and the full all-clear was issued at approximately 11:36 AM MST. NAU confirmed the report was a hoax and stated there was never an active threat to the campus community. The incident was part of a coordinated wave of swatting attacks on the same day targeting Iowa State, Kansas State, the University of Arkansas, CU Boulder, and the University of New Hampshire.
Analysis
Key Findings
The 911 caller used a fake name ('Jacob') and included prerecorded gunshot audio, consistent with the Purgatory swatting group's documented methods
NAU's initial alert notably warned the incident could be a hoax while still directing evacuation, reflecting growing institutional awareness of the swatting trend
The over-two-hour disruption on the first day of classes affected thousands of students beginning their fall semester
Outcome
No armed person, shots, or injuries were found. The 911 call was determined to be a hoax. The FBI assisted in the investigation. Cline Library reopened by noon.
Provenance
Sources
- News
- News
- News
- News
- Official
Cite this case
Campus Alert Archive. "Northern Arizona University: Hoax report of a rifle in the library forces an evacuation on the first day of classes." Incident of August 25, 2025. Added April 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/northern-arizona-university-swatting-2025-08-25/
Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.
Tags
swattingactive-shooter-hoaxpurgatorylibrarycline-libraryarizonafirst-day-of-classessimulated-gunfirepublic-universityHoax
Added April 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion