Campus Alert Archive
Penn State

Penn State Student Posts 'ROTC Bombing Downtown Tonight' on Yik Yak, Tells Police It Was Comedy

PAbomb threattimely warningmedium confidence
Confirmed 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 24, 2022, Penn State student Henry Hyduke, 20, allegedly posted on Yik Yak from his residence hall: 'ROTC bombing downtown state college tonight. Stay safe.' A Yik Yak moderator flagged the post to the FBI National Threat Operations Center, which alerted local Centre County and Penn State University Park police. Police considered but ultimately chose not to evacuate downtown State College because no specific location was named. Hyduke was charged with terroristic threats causing serious public inconvenience, a first-degree misdemeanor.

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Institution
Pennsylvania State University
Public R1 · PA
~88,000 studentsPSUAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message 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 ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction346 chars
PSUAlert: Penn State University Police are investigating a threatening post on the Yik Yak social media platform referencing ROTC activity downtown. Police are working with federal law enforcement to identify the individual responsible. There is no immediate threat to campus at this time. Report any suspicious activity to PSUPD at 814-863-1111.

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

The post was sent from Hyduke's on-campus residence hall around 6:30 p.m. EST on August 24, 2022, according to court documents
A Yik Yak site moderator flagged the post to the FBI National Threat Operations Center, which then contacted local authorities -- demonstrating the platform's cooperation with law enforcement despite its anonymous interface
Police considered evacuating downtown State College but chose not to because the post did not name a specific location, illustrating how alert decisions depend on threat specificity
Context

Background

On August 24, 2022, Penn State University student Henry Hyduke, 20, of Fair Haven, New Jersey, posted to the anonymous social media app Yik Yak from his on-campus residence hall: 'ROTC bombing downtown state college tonight. Stay safe.' He later told police he was 'trying to make a comedic message' and thought the post would not be taken seriously. A Yik Yak site moderator reported the post to the FBI National Threat Operations Center, which contacted both the Centre County district and Penn State University Park Police. Officers debated evacuating university-owned downtown properties but ultimately decided against it because the post did not specify a precise location. Hyduke, who told police he was not affiliated with ROTC, was charged with terroristic threats causing serious public inconvenience -- a first-degree misdemeanor under Pennsylvania law. The case illustrates a pattern from 2022: students treating anonymous social media platforms as consequence-free humor environments, only to discover that those platforms retained logs sufficient for law-enforcement tracing. Hyduke was the fourth such case reported at Penn State in a single semester, reflecting a broader national pattern of Yik Yak bomb-threat charges in fall 2022.
Outcome
Police investigated and traced the post to Hyduke's residence hall. No evacuation was ordered because no specific building was identified. Hyduke admitted making the post as 'a comedic message' and was charged with terroristic threats (first-degree misdemeanor).
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Penn State Student Charged For Allegedly Posting Bomb Threat On Yik Yak (Onward State)
    onwardstate.com
  2. Student Paper
    Penn State student charged for alleged terroristic threats after posting on Yik Yak (The Collegian)
    collegian.psu.edu
  3. News
    Penn State student arrested for allegedly posting bomb threat on social media app (PhillyVoice)
    phillyvoice.com
  4. News
    Penn State Student Charged for Alleged Bomb Threat Posted to Social Media (State College, PA)
    statecollege.com
Tags
bomb-threatyik-yaksocial-media-threatstudent-suspectarrest-madepennsylvaniastate-collegepublic-r1anonymous-appfbi-assistno-evacuationHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion