Campus Alert Archive
UMN

Former Small-Town Mayor Threatens to 'Start Killing Kids' at UMN: SAFE-U Emergency Spans Six Hours

MNthreat of violenceemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On January 11, 2024, the University of Minnesota issued a SAFE-U Emergency at 7:21 AM after 41-year-old Joseph Mark Rongstad posted Facebook threats to come to campus and "start killing kids." The threat kept the campus on heightened alert for nearly six hours until Rongstad was contained by law enforcement in Chippewa County.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Public R1 · MN
~54,955 studentsSAFE-U
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

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 reconstruction216 chars
SAFE-U EMERGENCY: The University has received a specific threat to shoot persons on the Twin Cities campus. If you are on campus, be vigilant and report anything suspicious to 911. Avoid unnecessary travel to campus.

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

Reconstructed from multiple news reports; the first SAFE-U alert was sent at 7:21 AM CST on January 11, 2024
The alert described the threat as 'specific,' a notable departure from more generic campus safety warnings
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction216 chars
SAFE-U UPDATE: The threat against the Twin Cities campus remains active. The suspect has been identified as Joseph Rongstad, 41, of Chippewa County. Campus remains open but use caution. Law enforcement is responding.

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

Reconstructed from news coverage; the campus remained open but non-essential staff were asked to stay away
Rongstad was identified as a former mayor of Watson, Minnesota, a town of approximately 200 people
ALL CLEARSMS+5h 39m
Verified verbatimKNSI Radio (verbatim SAFE-U all-clear)175 chars
ALL CLEAR Final Update to threats to TC Campus. Chippewa County Sheriff has located the suspect and have him contained in their county. TC campus may resume normal operations.
Verbatim SAFE-U final update as quoted by KNSI Radio; issued just after 1:00 PM CST on January 11, 2024, nearly six hours after the initial alert
The grammatically irregular 'have him contained' is preserved from the original notification
Rongstad was not yet in custody at the time of the all-clear but was contained; the SWAT standoff continued until approximately 4:15 PM CST
Context

Background

Joseph Mark Rongstad, a 41-year-old former mayor of Watson, Minnesota, began posting threatening messages on his business Facebook page late on January 10, 2024. The posts, which referenced "mind control technology" and an incoming third world war, turned explicitly violent early on January 11, when he wrote he was headed to the University of Minnesota to "start killing kids" and that "it's going to get bloody." The university's Department of Public Safety issued a SAFE-U Emergency at 7:21 AM CST, describing the threat as "specific". While the campus remained open, non-essential staff were advised to stay away. The all-clear came just after 1:00 PM when Rongstad was contained by the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office at his home, approximately 150 miles west of campus. He surrendered to a SWAT team around 4:15 PM after officers breached his home. He was charged with felony threats of violence and ineligible possession of ammunition, and was later sentenced to prison.
Analysis

Key Findings

The SAFE-U Emergency lasted nearly six hours, one of the longest active threat alerts in UMN history
The suspect was located 150 miles from campus, requiring coordination between campus police and rural law enforcement
UMN chose to keep the campus open during the threat, advising caution rather than issuing a shelter-in-place
Outcome
Rongstad surrendered to a SWAT team at his home in Watson, Minnesota, around 4:15 PM. He was charged with felony threats of violence and ineligible possession of ammunition. He was later sentenced to prison.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    U of M: 'All clear' after shooting threat at Twin Cities campus, suspect arrested (KSTP)
    kstp.com
  2. News
    All Clear at University of Minnesota After Man Said he Wanted to Shoot People (KNSI Radio)
    knsiradio.com
  3. News
    U of M issues alert after specific threat against Twin Cities campus (MPR News)
    mprnews.org
  4. News
    Law enforcement say suspect has been arrested, all-clear given (CBS Minnesota)
    cbsnews.com
  5. Student Paper
    UMN students, faculty reflect following pre-semester shooting threat (Minnesota Daily)
    mndaily.com
  6. News
    Man who threatened U of M campus sentenced to prison (CBS Minnesota)
    cbsnews.com
Tags
threat-of-violencesocial-media-threatfacebookminnesotabig-tensafe-uswat-standoffformer-mayormental-health
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion