Campus Alert Archive
NOVA

A Science Project in a Newspaper Vending Machine Shuts Down a NOVA Campus

VAsuspicious packageemergency 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 Wednesday, June 26, 2019, NOVA's Loudoun campus in Sterling was evacuated and closed for the day after a suspicious package was found in the Waddell Building. NOVA Police received the report at 11:12 a.m. and evacuated first the building and then the entire campus of about 700 people. After investigation by campus police, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Loudoun County Fire-Rescue, the package was determined to be a student's science project that had been placed inside a student-newspaper vending machine, and was deemed not a threat.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Northern Virginia Community College
Community College · VA
~75,000 studentsNOVA Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 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 reconstructionLoudoun Now coverage — reconstructed196 chars
NOVA Alert: Suspicious package found in the Waddell Building at the Loudoun Campus. The building is being evacuated. Avoid the area and follow instructions from police. More information to follow.

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

Reconstructed from reporting that NOVA Police received the call at 11:12 a.m. and evacuated the Waddell Building first; the exact NOVA Alert wording is not confirmed verbatim, so isVerbatimConfirmed is false.
The Waddell Building is a real academic building on NOVA's Loudoun campus in Sterling, the location named in the contemporaneous coverage.
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstructionWTOP coverage — reconstructed164 chars
NOVA Alert: The entire Loudoun Campus is now closed. All classes and activities are cancelled for the rest of the day. Do not return to campus until further notice.

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

Reconstructed update reflecting the escalation from a single-building evacuation to a full campus closure of roughly 700 people; the precise alert text is not confirmed verbatim.
The decision to close the whole campus over a single package illustrates the low risk tolerance community colleges apply when an unattended item is found, even before it is examined.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstructionLoudoun Times-Mirror coverage — reconstructed206 chars
NOVA Alert: The suspicious package on the Loudoun Campus has been determined not to be a threat. The investigation is complete. The campus remains closed for the day; normal operations will resume tomorrow.

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

Reconstructed all-clear: the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office confirmed the package 'was determined to not be threatening,' and it turned out to be a student's science project; the exact alert wording is not confirmed verbatim.
This is a genuine all-clear — it lifts the threat — but the campus stayed closed for the remainder of the day, so the message distinguishes 'no threat' from 'resume normal operations now.'
Context

Background

Northern Virginia Community College is one of the largest community colleges in the United States, with a Loudoun campus in Sterling. On June 26, 2019, a suspicious package in the Waddell Building prompted NOVA Police — who received the report at 11:12 a.m. — to evacuate the building and then the entire campus of roughly 700 people. Loudoun County Sheriff's deputies and Fire-Rescue responded, and the package was ultimately identified as a student's science project left inside a student-newspaper vending machine. Classes stayed cancelled for the rest of the day. The case is a useful community-college example of how an unattended-item report cascades into a full-campus closure under a low risk tolerance, and how the eventual all-clear can confirm 'no threat' while operations stay suspended.
Analysis

Key Findings

A single unattended package escalated from a one-building evacuation to a full closure of ~700 people, showing the low risk tolerance community colleges apply to suspicious-item reports
The item was a harmless student science project, making this an 'unfounded' outcome rather than a confirmed or hoax threat
NOVA's response time is anchored to the documented 11:12 a.m. police report, a rare precise timestamp for a community-college incident
Outcome
The package was found to be a harmless student science project. Classes and activities remained cancelled for the rest of the day; no injuries.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    NVCC Closes Loudoun Campus Because of Suspicious Package
    loudounnow.com
  2. News
    UPDATE: Suspicious package at Northern Virginia Community College deemed not a threat
    loudountimes.com
  3. News
    Northern Virginia Community College's Loudoun Campus closed for rest of Wednesday
    wtop.com
Tags
suspicious-packagecommunity-collegevirginialoudounevacuationunfoundedemergency-notificationUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion