{
  "id": "2018-06-29-berkeley-college-bomb-threat",
  "slug": "berkeley-college-bomb-threat-2018-06-29",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Berkeley College",
    "state": "NJ",
    "type": "for-profit",
    "enrollment": 5500
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2018-06-29",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "unfounded",
    "headline": "One Anonymous Call, Seven Campuses: Berkeley College Empties Every New York and New Jersey Location Over a Single Bomb Threat",
    "summary": "On the morning of June 29, 2018, an anonymous, non-specific bomb threat called in to [Berkeley College's Woodland Park, New Jersey campus](https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/whiteplains/police-fire/bomb-threat-that-cleared-berkeley-college-campuses-unfounded/739273/) prompted the evacuation of all seven of the for-profit college's campuses across New York and New Jersey -- White Plains, Woodland Park, Paramus, Newark, Woodbridge, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. Local authorities in each location [inspected and cleared every building](https://patch.com/new-york/whiteplains/bomb-squad-deployed-white-plains), including a bomb squad response in White Plains, before normal operations resumed by approximately 11:00 AM.",
    "outcome": "All seven campuses were evacuated, inspected, and cleared by local authorities; the threat was determined to be unfounded, and normal campus operations resumed by approximately 11:00 AM."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Early morning, June 29, 2018, shortly after 7:45 AM EDT, when the threat was called in to the Woodland Park, New Jersey campus",
      "channel": "unknown",
      "verbatimText": "Berkeley College has received an unsubstantiated, non-specific bomb threat. As a precaution, all seven campuses in New York and New Jersey are being evacuated and inspected by local authorities. Please leave the building immediately and await further instructions.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Daily Voice and Patch reporting on the Berkeley College multi-campus evacuation",
      "annotations": [
        "The threat was called in to the Woodland Park, New Jersey campus at approximately 7:45 AM EDT, but Berkeley College evacuated all seven of its campuses -- not just the one that received the call -- as a precaution",
        "A bomb squad from Yonkers was deployed specifically to the White Plains, New York campus, where police closed the surrounding street during the inspection",
        "The decision to evacuate all seven locations across two states for a threat called in to a single campus reflects a highly cautious, centralized response typical of a multi-campus institution"
      ],
      "characterCount": 264
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Late morning, June 29, 2018, around 11:00 AM EDT, after all seven campuses were inspected and cleared",
      "channel": "unknown",
      "verbatimText": "All Berkeley College campuses have been evacuated, inspected, and cleared by local authorities. The bomb threat has been determined to be unfounded. Normal campus operations have resumed.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Daily Voice reporting confirming normal operations resumed by approximately 11:00 AM",
      "annotations": [
        "Normal campus operations resumed at approximately 11:00 AM EDT, roughly three hours after the initial threat was called in, once all seven campuses had been individually inspected and cleared",
        "The Daily Voice's headline characterized the threat as 'unfounded' rather than a confirmed hoax, reflecting that no arrest or identified caller was reported in connection with the incident"
      ],
      "characterCount": 187
    }
  ],
  "context": "[Berkeley College](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_College) is a for-profit institution with career-focused associate and bachelor's degree programs across seven campuses in New York and New Jersey -- White Plains, Woodland Park, Paramus, Newark, Woodbridge, Manhattan, and Brooklyn -- plus online programs. On the morning of June 29, 2018, an anonymous caller phoned in a non-specific bomb threat to the Woodland Park, New Jersey campus, according to [Daily Voice](https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/whiteplains/police-fire/bomb-threat-that-cleared-berkeley-college-campuses-unfounded/739273/). Rather than evacuating only the targeted campus, Berkeley College's centralized security response cleared all seven of its locations simultaneously. In White Plains, New York, [Patch reported](https://patch.com/new-york/whiteplains/bomb-squad-deployed-white-plains) that a Yonkers bomb squad was deployed and police closed the surrounding street while officers swept the building. Every campus was inspected and declared clear within roughly three hours, and normal operations resumed by approximately 11:00 AM. The threat was ultimately deemed unfounded, with no device found and no suspect identified in available reporting. The case illustrates how a single anonymous call to one location of a multi-campus for-profit college chain can cascade into a coordinated, multi-state, multi-campus emergency response.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "A single anonymous bomb threat called in to one campus in Woodland Park, New Jersey, prompted the simultaneous evacuation of all seven Berkeley College campuses across two states",
    "A bomb squad from Yonkers was specifically deployed to the White Plains, New York campus, indicating a serious precautionary response even though the threat had been non-specific",
    "All seven campuses were inspected, cleared, and reopened within approximately three hours, from roughly 7:45 AM to 11:00 AM EDT"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Bomb Threat That Cleared Berkeley College Campuses 'Unfounded' - Daily Voice",
      "url": "https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/whiteplains/police-fire/bomb-threat-that-cleared-berkeley-college-campuses-unfounded/739273/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Berkeley College Reopens All Campuses: UPDATE - Patch (White Plains, NY)",
      "url": "https://patch.com/new-york/whiteplains/bomb-squad-deployed-white-plains",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "bomb-threat",
    "for-profit",
    "new-jersey",
    "new-york",
    "multi-campus",
    "evacuation",
    "2018"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-07-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-03",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}