Campus Alert Archive
Penn State Altoona

Threatening Letter at Adler Building Triggers Bomb Scare and 120-Subscriber Surge in Penn State Altoona's PSUTXT System

PAbomb 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.

In late April 2007, Penn State Altoona received a threatening letter at a campus office explicitly using the word 'bomb' and referencing the Adler Building, the campus recreation facility. Pennsylvania State Police K-9 units, Penn State Altoona University Police, and Logan Township Police swept the Adler Building and found nothing threatening. Classes were not canceled on the advice of police, but the incident drove a 40-percent surge in PSUTXT subscribers at Altoona -- with 120 new text-alert sign-ups in a single day.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Penn State Altoona
Public Bachelors · PA
~3,400 studentsPSUTXT
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 ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction359 chars
Penn State Altoona University Police: A threatening letter referencing the Adler Building has been received. Campus police are investigating. The Adler Building is closed until further notice. Pennsylvania State Police K-9 units are assisting with a sweep of the facility. Classes continue as scheduled. Please report any suspicious activity to campus police.

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

The threatening letter arrived at a campus office and used the word 'bomb' specifically, according to the Daily Collegian; it was addressed to or referencing the Adler Building, the campus recreation facility
Penn State Altoona's alert system in 2007 was PSUTXT, a cell phone text-message notification service that was still in early adoption; the incident dramatically accelerated uptake
Logan Township Police (the municipal jurisdiction for Penn State Altoona's campus in Blair County) joined Penn State Altoona University Police and PSP K-9 in the sweep
ALL CLEARUnknown
Approximate reconstruction189 chars
Penn State Altoona: The thorough search of the Adler Building has been completed and nothing of a threatening nature was found. The facility will reopen and normal campus operations resume.

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

The Daily Collegian article was published April 27, 2007, reporting that 'preliminary sweeps of the building conducted [the] morning revealed no abnormalities' and a 'thorough search' found nothing threatening
The incident resulted in a 40-percent increase in PSUTXT subscribers at Altoona -- 120 new sign-ups in one day -- illustrating how bomb scares drive alert system adoption at branch campuses
No arrest was publicly announced; the threatening letter was retained as forensic evidence for investigation
Context

Background

Penn State Altoona is a public bachelor's-granting commonwealth campus of Penn State University in Blair County, Pennsylvania, with approximately 3,400 students. In late April 2007, a campus office received a written letter that used the word 'bomb' and referenced the Adler Building, the campus recreation facility. The letter was immediately turned over to Penn State Altoona University Police, who coordinated a joint response with the Pennsylvania State Police K-9 Unit and Logan Township Police. The Adler Building was closed and swept; preliminary sweeps in the morning revealed no abnormalities and the thorough search found nothing of a threatening nature. Campus police advised against canceling classes, and operations continued normally. The incident's most notable documented outcome was a 40-percent surge in PSUTXT subscribers at Altoona -- 120 new members in a single day -- reflecting the pattern across Penn State's commonwealth campuses where a scare drives adoption of the university's then-new text-alert system. The 2007 Altoona bomb threat predates the modern PSUAlert platform and illustrates the early era of campus emergency notification, when text-message subscription services were new and faculty and students were still being encouraged to sign up.
Outcome
K-9 sweep and thorough search found nothing of a threatening nature. Classes not canceled. Adler Building closed temporarily while sweep was conducted. Investigation into letter's origin ongoing; no arrest publicly announced.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Bomb threat shuts down Altoona facility (Daily Collegian)
    collegian.psu.edu
  2. Official
    PSUAlert Text Messaging Service - Campus Closures (Penn State Altoona)
    altoona.psu.edu
Tags
bomb-threatthreatening-letterpennsylvaniapenn-state-altoonabranch-campusadler-buildingpsutxtk9-sweeprecreation-facility2007Unfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion