Campus Alert Archive
OSU

Car Into Crowd at 10:31 AM: How the Sea of Orange Homecoming Parade Became a Mass-Casualty Scene

OKassaultemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On October 24, 2015, at 10:31 AM CDT, Adacia Avery Chambers drove her sedan into a crowd of spectators watching Oklahoma State University's annual Sea of Orange Homecoming Parade on Main Street in Stillwater, killing four people and injuring 47 others. Three victims died at the scene and a 2-year-old boy died the following day at The Children's Hospital at OU Medicine. Chambers was later sentenced to life in prison after pleading no contest to second-degree murder and assault charges.

Alerts
3
Response
15 min
Killed
4
Injured
47
Institution
Oklahoma State University
Public R1 · OK
~26,000 studentsCowboy 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 reconstruction196 chars
[COWBOY ALERT: Active police situation at the corner of Main and Hall of Fame in Stillwater. Avoid the area and allow emergency responders access. This is not a drill. More information to follow.]

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

The crash occurred at 10:31 AM CDT on October 24, 2015, at the intersection of Main Street and Hall of Fame Avenue in Stillwater, a block from the OSU campus; Cowboy Alert notifications were sent out within approximately 15 minutes
The Cowboy Alert system is operated in partnership with AT&T RAVE Mobile Safety and reaches all registered OSU students, faculty, and staff via SMS, email, and push notification
Stillwater was packed with tens of thousands of spectators for the Sea of Orange Homecoming Parade and the afternoon football game against Kansas; the parade route ran directly adjacent to campus
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction305 chars
[COWBOY ALERT UPDATE: The vehicle-into-crowd incident on Main Street has been secured. Multiple individuals were injured. One suspect is in custody. Emergency medical personnel are on scene. Avoid the area. The homecoming pep rally is canceled. The football game will proceed as scheduled this afternoon.]

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

Adacia Chambers was arrested at the scene within minutes of the crash; she was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.01, below the DUI threshold -- investigators later noted she had displayed erratic behavior in the days before the crash
Three victims were killed at the scene: Nikita Nakal, 23 (a student at University of Central Oklahoma attending the parade), and Marvin and Bonnie Stone, both 65, of Stillwater
The OSU football game against Kansas went ahead at 2:30 PM CDT at Boone Pickens Stadium; a pep rally originally scheduled before the game was canceled
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction438 chars
[To the Oklahoma State University community: With great sadness we confirm that a fourth individual has died from injuries sustained in this morning's vehicle attack on the Homecoming Parade route. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those killed and injured. A campus-wide memorial service will be held on November 1. We ask that the Cowboy Family support one another during this difficult time. President Burns Hargis]

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

Nash Lucas, a 2-year-old from Stillwater, died on the evening of October 24 from injuries sustained when the car drove through the crowd; his death raised the fatality count to four
A community memorial service was held on November 1, 2015, attended by thousands at Gallagher-Iba Arena; OSU President Burns Hargis and other university leaders spoke
A permanent memorial for the four victims was later installed near the Homecoming Parade route on the OSU campus
Context

Background

The 2015 Oklahoma State University homecoming parade attack occurred on one of the most celebrated days of the OSU academic calendar: the annual Sea of Orange Homecoming Parade, which draws tens of thousands of students, alumni, and community members to downtown Stillwater. At 10:31 AM CDT on October 24, 2015, Adacia Avery Chambers, 25, drove her Honda Civic south on Main Street into barriers and then into a crowd of spectators who had gathered near the intersection of Main and Hall of Fame Avenue, approximately one block from the OSU campus. Chambers's car struck approximately 50 people at speeds above 40 miles per hour. Three people died at the scene: Nikita Prabhaker Nakal, 23, a senior at the University of Central Oklahoma; and Stillwater residents Marvin Lyle Stone, 65, and Bonnie Jean Stone, 65. Nash Lucas, 2, a Stillwater resident, was critically injured and died that evening at The Children's Hospital at OU Medicine in Oklahoma City. Forty-seven others were injured. Chambers was arrested at the scene and was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.01 -- below the DUI threshold -- though investigators noted she had displayed increasingly erratic behavior in the preceding days. She was charged with second-degree murder and assault; in 2016 she pleaded no contest and was sentenced to life in prison. OSU's Cowboy Alert system notified registered students and staff within approximately 15 minutes of the crash. The football game against Kansas went ahead at 2:30 PM at Boone Pickens Stadium; a pregame pep rally was canceled. A campus-wide memorial was held November 1, 2015, and a permanent memorial was later dedicated near the parade route. The 2015 attack is the deadliest event-related mass-casualty incident on an American campus since the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse.
Analysis

Key Findings

Four people were killed and 47 injured when Adacia Chambers drove her car into the crowd at the OSU Homecoming Parade at 10:31 AM CDT on October 24, 2015
Three victims died at the scene; Nash Lucas, 2, died later that evening at a children's hospital in Oklahoma City
The Cowboy Alert system notified registered students and staff within approximately 15 minutes of the crash via SMS and email
Chambers had a blood alcohol level of 0.01 -- below the DUI threshold; she pleaded no contest to murder and assault charges and was sentenced to life in prison
The OSU football game against Kansas proceeded as scheduled; a pregame pep rally was canceled
Outcome
Four killed: Nikita Prabhaker Nakal, 23 (UCO senior); Marvin Lyle Stone, 65; Bonnie Jean Stone, 65; and Nash Lucas, 2. 47 injured. Adacia Avery Chambers, 25, was arrested at the scene, charged with second-degree murder and assault. She pleaded no contest and was sentenced to life in prison. OSU canceled pep rally events; the football game against Kansas was played as scheduled.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    2015 Oklahoma State University homecoming parade attack - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. News
    4 dead after car hits crowd at Oklahoma State parade - CNN
    cnn.com
  3. News
    4 Dead, 44 Injured at Oklahoma State Homecoming after Car Plows Into Crowd - ABC News
    abcnews.go.com
  4. News
    Adacia Chambers sentenced in deadly Oklahoma State homecoming crash - CBS News
    cbsnews.com
  5. Official
    Homecoming parade tragedy - Oklahoma State University timeline
    timeline.okstate.edu
  6. Official
    The Cowboy Family Remembers Parade Victims - Oklahoma State University
    go.okstate.edu
  7. News
    Fatal 2015 Oklahoma State homecoming parade crash - Tulsa World
    tulsaworld.com
Tags
vehicle-attackhomecomingparademass-casualtycasualtiescowboy-alertoklahomapublic-r1crowd-emergencyevent-safety
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion