Campus Alert Archive
SWC

A Fleeing Crash Suspect in an Orange Shirt Locked Down a Satellite Campus

CAlockdownemergency notificationmedium confidence
Under Investigation

Southwestern College's Higher Education Center in National City was locked down on the afternoon of January 25, 2019, after a man fled on foot from a stolen van that crashed on northbound Interstate 5 nearby and was seen on or near the campus at about 1:30 p.m. PST, according to KPBS. Only staff were on campus — no classes were in session — and officials declared the campus safe by about 4 p.m. PST. The suspect was described only as a man in an orange shirt or no shirt.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Southwestern College
Community College · CA
~19,000 studentsSouthwestern College Emergency Alert
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 ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction200 chars
Southwestern College Alert: The National City Higher Education Center is on LOCKDOWN. Police are searching for a suspect near campus. Remain secured inside, lock doors, and await further instructions.

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

Reconstructed lockdown wording: coverage reported the lockdown and search but did not republish the college's exact alert text.
The lockdown applied to the satellite Higher Education Center at 880 National City Boulevard, not the main Chula Vista campus.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction154 chars
Southwestern College Alert: The lockdown at the National City Higher Education Center has been lifted. The campus is safe. Thank you for your cooperation.

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

Reconstructed all-clear matching the reported ~4 p.m. PST declaration that the campus was safe; exact wording not published.
Classified as an all-clear because it explicitly lifts the lockdown, unlike the initial secure-in-place instruction.
Context

Background

On the afternoon of January 25, 2019, a man fled on foot after crashing a stolen van on northbound Interstate 5 near Main Street and was seen on or near Southwestern College's National City Higher Education Center around 1:30 p.m. PST, prompting a lockdown. KPBS reported the suspect search forced the lockdown, while FOX 5 San Diego noted no classes were in session and only staff were on campus, secured until officials declared the site safe by about 4 p.m. PST. NBC 7 San Diego described the suspect only as a man in an orange shirt or no shirt. The episode shows how a community college satellite center can be drawn into a fast-moving off-campus police search that has nothing to do with the institution itself.
Analysis

Key Findings

The lockdown was driven by an off-campus stolen-van crash on I-5 and the subsequent foot pursuit, not by any threat originating at the college
No classes were in session; only staff were on the National City satellite campus and were kept secure
Officials declared the campus safe by roughly 4 p.m. PST, about two and a half hours after the lockdown began
Outcome
No classes were in session; only staff were on campus and were kept secure. Officials declared the campus safe by about 4 p.m. PST. The suspect was sought in connection with a stolen-van crash on I-5.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Suspect Search Prompts Southwestern College Lockdown
    kpbs.org
  2. News
    Police search for 'potentially dangerous' man at Southwestern College HEC
    fox5sandiego.com
  3. News
    Suspect Search Forces Lockdown at Southwestern College's National City Campus
    nbcsandiego.com
Tags
lockdownemergency-notificationcaliforniacommunity-collegeoff-campus-threatpolice-pursuitnational-cityUnder Investigation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion