{
  "id": "2025-09-11-bethune-cookman-university-hbcu-threat",
  "slug": "bethune-cookman-university-hbcu-threat-2025-09-11",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Bethune-Cookman University",
    "shortName": "B-CU",
    "state": "FL",
    "type": "hbcu",
    "alertSystemName": "Wildcat Alert",
    "enrollment": 2800
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-09-11",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Bomb threat amid a coordinated wave against HBCUs; classes canceled, campus locked down",
    "headlinePublic": "Bomb threat amid a coordinated wave against HBCUs; classes canceled, campus locked down",
    "summary": "On September 11, 2025, Bethune-Cookman University [canceled classes and locked down the campus](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/bethune-cookman-university-cancels-classes-lockdown-over-potential-threat) after receiving a bomb threat as part of a coordinated wave targeting HBCUs. Students sheltered in their dorm rooms while [police conducted building sweeps](https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2025/09/11/potential-threat-prompts-lockdown-at-bethune-cookman-university-classes-canceled/). The lockdown was lifted Friday morning after the FBI found no credible threat.",
    "outcome": "No explosive devices or credible threats were found. The lockdown was lifted Friday morning, September 12. The FBI classified the threats as hoax calls. Normal campus operations resumed.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 12:23 PM EDT on September 11, 2025",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "Due to a potential threat to campus safety, as a precaution, Bethune-Cookman University is currently on lockdown. All classes have been canceled; students should return to their dorm rooms and shelter in place. All faculty and staff should head home and those not on campus should plan to work remotely. Safety is our first priority, and we will continue to provide updates.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/bethune-cookman-university-lockdown-closes-campus-due-potential-threat/XBHOAUOMRJB2XIE3YQUKSJL2PA/",
      "sourceDescription": "Bethune-Cookman University official Facebook post (12:23 PM, Sept 11, 2025) quoted verbatim by Action News Jax and Fox 35 Orlando",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text of B-CU's official Facebook lockdown post, sent at approximately 12:23 PM EDT on September 11, 2025",
        "Bethune-Cookman was one of at least seven HBCUs to receive threats on September 11, 2025",
        "Students were specifically instructed to return to their dorms, indicating residential campus protocols; remote-work instructions for faculty/staff reflect a full campus stand-down"
      ],
      "characterCount": 374
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Morning of September 12, 2025",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Fox 35 Orlando and Daytona Times reporting",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "On September 11, 2025, Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, [locked down its campus](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/bethune-cookman-university-cancels-classes-lockdown-over-potential-threat) after receiving a bomb threat. Students were ordered to shelter in their dorm rooms while police conducted building sweeps. The threat was part of a [coordinated wave targeting multiple HBCUs](https://www.cfpublic.org/education/2025-09-11/threat-prompts-bethune-cookman-university-lockdown) across the country on the same day, including Virginia State University, Hampton University, Alabama State University, Southern University, and Clark Atlanta University. The [lockdown was lifted Friday morning](https://www.daytonatimes.com/news/bethune-cookman-moving-on-after-last-week-s-lockdown/article_42530928-a4eb-4ed4-a3a1-f9ab24bdef36.html) after the FBI determined the threats were a hoax. The 2025 threats echoed the [2022 wave of bomb threats](https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/bethune-cookman-university-lockdown-closes-campus-due-potential-threat/XBHOAUOMRJB2XIE3YQUKSJL2PA/) that targeted dozens of HBCUs, including Bethune-Cookman.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The lockdown began around midday Thursday, September 11 and was lifted the following morning, Friday, September 12",
    "Bethune-Cookman was targeted in both the 2022 and 2025 HBCU bomb threat waves, making it a repeat victim",
    "The involvement of local, state, and federal law enforcement reflected the multi-jurisdictional nature of the coordinated threat campaign"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Lockdown at Bethune-Cookman University lifted after potential threat (Fox 35 Orlando)",
      "url": "https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/bethune-cookman-university-cancels-classes-lockdown-over-potential-threat",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Potential threat prompts lockdown at Bethune-Cookman University (ClickOrlando)",
      "url": "https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2025/09/11/potential-threat-prompts-lockdown-at-bethune-cookman-university-classes-canceled/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Threat prompts Bethune-Cookman University lockdown (Central Florida Public Media)",
      "url": "https://www.cfpublic.org/education/2025-09-11/threat-prompts-bethune-cookman-university-lockdown",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bethune-Cookman moving on after last week's lockdown (Daytona Times)",
      "url": "https://www.daytonatimes.com/news/bethune-cookman-moving-on-after-last-week-s-lockdown/article_42530928-a4eb-4ed4-a3a1-f9ab24bdef36.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bethune-Cookman University on lockdown, closes campus 'due to a potential threat' (Action News Jax, quoting B-CU's official Facebook lockdown post verbatim)",
      "url": "https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/bethune-cookman-university-lockdown-closes-campus-due-potential-threat/XBHOAUOMRJB2XIE3YQUKSJL2PA/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Bethune-Cookman University official Facebook page (source of the verbatim lockdown post, 12:23 PM Sept 11, 2025)",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/BethuneCookmanUniversity/",
      "type": "official-social"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "hbcu",
    "bomb-threat",
    "hoax",
    "florida",
    "coordinated-threat",
    "september-11",
    "lockdown",
    "daytona-beach"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-05-07",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}