Campus Alert Archive
Stevens

A 7 a.m. Construction Argument on Hudson Street Put a Hoboken Engineering Campus on Shelter-in-Place Over a BB Rifle

NJpolice activityemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the morning of August 29, 2022, Stevens Institute of Technology issued a shelter-in-place order at 9:03 a.m. EDT after Hoboken police responded to reports of a man displaying a rifle during a dispute on the 500 block of Hudson Street, near the campus border at Fifth and Hudson streets. The dispute was over what time construction crews were allowed to begin work. The Hoboken Police and Hudson County SWAT responded, and a suspect later identified as Michael Jasmine surrendered; the recovered weapon was a rifle-style BB gun.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Stevens Institute of Technology
Private R2 · NJ
~8,000 studentsStevens 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 reconstruction138 chars
Stevens Alert: Shelter in place. Police activity at 5th and Hudson Streets. Stay inside and away from windows. More information to follow.

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

Stevens issued the shelter-in-place at 9:03 a.m. EDT, approximately 90 minutes after Hoboken Police were called to the construction dispute around 7:30 a.m. EDT
Fifth and Hudson is on the western edge of Stevens' Castle Point campus — the campus border, not deep inside it, which influenced the relatively narrow geographic scope of the alert
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction172 chars
Stevens Alert: The shelter-in-place has been lifted. The suspect has surrendered to Hoboken Police. Police activity in the area has concluded. Normal operations may resume.

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

The suspect, later identified as Michael Jasmine, willingly surrendered after Hoboken Police and Hudson County SWAT made contact
The recovered weapon was confirmed to be a rifle-style BB gun rather than a firearm — a distinction relevant to the criminal charges but not to the campus alert response
Context

Background

Stevens Institute of Technology is a private engineering and applied science university on Castle Point in Hoboken, New Jersey, founded in 1870 and one of the oldest technological universities in the United States. The campus sits on a small bluff above the Hudson River and is bordered on its western edge by Hudson Street. On August 29, 2022, Hoboken Police responded to a dispute on the 500 block of Hudson Street between a resident and a construction crew over what time construction work was permitted to start. Witnesses reported the resident displayed a rifle during the argument. Stevens issued a shelter-in-place at 9:03 a.m. EDT — the first day of the fall 2022 semester — and asked students to stay inside and away from the area at Fifth and Hudson Streets. The Hoboken Police Department and Hudson County SWAT Team responded, and the suspect, later identified as Michael Jasmine, willingly surrendered without anyone being injured. The recovered weapon was determined to be a rifle-style BB gun. The case is significant for the campus alert archive because it illustrates how an urban STEM campus on a tight footprint — Stevens' Castle Point campus is roughly 55 acres in densely built Hoboken — can be put on shelter-in-place by a civilian police call adjacent to its border, even when the actual incident is unrelated to the university and the weapon turns out to be non-lethal.
Analysis

Key Findings

Stevens issued the shelter-in-place at 9:03 a.m. EDT on the first day of fall 2022 semester, illustrating the 'first-day-of-class' vulnerability that recurs in the campus-alert literature
The incident occurred at the campus's western border, not on campus, but Stevens' tight urban footprint meant the threat was effectively at the edge of student housing
The recovered 'rifle' was a BB gun, but the Stevens response treated the report as if it were a firearm — appropriate under Clery emergency-notification standards, which depend on the perceived threat at the time
The Hudson County SWAT Team's response was a county-level escalation, reflecting the regional nature of armed-suspect responses in urban New Jersey
Outcome
A man identified as Michael Jasmine was arrested without injuries and charged with weapons possession and aggravated assault. The recovered weapon was determined to be a rifle-style BB gun, not a firearm. The Stevens shelter-in-place was lifted later that morning. No injuries were reported on campus or in the surrounding neighborhood.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    'Shelter In Place' Lifted For Stevens Institute In Hoboken After Report Of Man With Weapon - Patch
    patch.com
  2. News
    Hoboken Man Allegedly Displayed Rifle During Dispute That Caused College Lockdown - Patch
    patch.com
  3. News
    Stevens students urged to shelter in place as police investigate report of an armed robbery - Hudson County View
    hudsoncountyview.com
  4. News
    Man with Weapon Reportedly Seen Near Stevens in Hoboken on 8/29 - Hoboken Girl
    hobokengirl.com
Tags
police-activitystemengineeringshelter-in-placefirst-day-of-classnew-jerseyhobokenarmed-personbb-gunprivate-r2
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion