{ "id": "2022-07-12-eastern-florida-state-college-bomb-threat", "slug": "eastern-florida-state-college-bomb-threat-2022-07-12", "institution": { "name": "Eastern Florida State College", "shortName": "EFSC", "state": "FL", "type": "community-college", "enrollment": 16000 }, "incident": { "date": "2022-07-12", "type": "bomb-threat", "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification", "headline": "Bomb threats evacuate two campuses; FBI ties calls to a nationwide hoax wave", "headlinePublic": "Bomb threats evacuate two campuses; FBI ties calls to a nationwide hoax wave", "summary": "On July 12, 2022, Eastern Florida State College evacuated both its [Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses](https://spacecoastdaily.com/2022/07/eastern-florida-state-college-evacuates-cocoa-palm-bay-campuses-following-bomb-threats/) around 12:15 p.m. EDT after receiving bomb threats. Law enforcement swept both campuses, found no evidence of any explosive, and issued an all-clear by approximately 1:30 p.m. EDT [The college stated the FBI believed the threats were part of a nationwide series of hoaxes originating from Ethiopia](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/officials-2-eastern-florida-state-college-campuses-evacuated-because-of-bomb-threats). The same day, six institutions in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and others across the country received similar calls.", "outcome": "Both Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses evacuated and swept. All-clear issued approximately 1:30 p.m. FBI linked the threats to a nationwide wave of hoaxes originating from overseas callers in Ethiopia. No device found; no injuries.", "resolution": "unfounded" }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestampApprox": "Approximately 12:15 p.m. EDT on July 12, 2022", "channel": "sms", "verbatimText": "", "isVerbatimConfirmed": false, "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Fox 35 Orlando, Click Orlando, and Space Coast Daily reporting; exact EFSC alert text not republished verbatim", "annotations": [] }, { "sequence": 2, "type": "all-clear", "timestampApprox": "Shortly before 1:30 p.m. EDT", "channel": "twitter-x", "verbatimText": "All buildings are safe for return and on-campus classes have resumed.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/officials-2-eastern-florida-state-college-campuses-evacuated-because-of-bomb-threats", "sourceDescription": "EFSC Twitter announcement as quoted by FOX 35 Orlando and Click Orlando", "annotations": [ "This is the college's posted all-clear as quoted by FOX 35 Orlando and Click Orlando; an earlier version of this entry padded the message with reconstructed sentences that have been removed", "Both campuses were clear within approximately one hour of the initial evacuation at 12:15 p.m. EDT", "The brevity of the sweep was consistent with threats that were vague about building or location, allowing law enforcement to focus on exterior searches" ], "characterCount": 69 } ], "context": "[Eastern Florida State College](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Florida_State_College), a public community college with campuses across Brevard County, evacuated its Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses on July 12, 2022, after bomb threats were received. [The college informed media](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/officials-2-eastern-florida-state-college-campuses-evacuated-because-of-bomb-threats) that the FBI had identified the threats as part of a nationwide series of hoaxes believed to originate from Ethiopia. The Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses were swept by law enforcement, found clear, and reopened within about an hour. The same day, July 12, also saw coordinated bomb threats reach [six institutions in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia](https://www.flcourier.com/news/bomb-threat-prompts-evacuation-at-florida-memorial-and-other-hbcus/article_8963defc-6edf-11ec-9eaa-031cb337438e.html): Regent University, Tidewater Community College, Virginia Peninsula Community College, Paul D. Camp Community College, Eastern Shore Community College, and Norfolk State University, with calls arriving between 11:11 a.m. EDT and 1:23 p.m. EDT. The nationwide pattern in July 2022 differed notably from the January-February HBCU wave: it targeted community colleges, technical institutions, and regional universities regardless of demographics, and law enforcement traced multiple calls to overseas numbers. EFSC's incident illustrates how the summer 2022 wave placed the burden of response on smaller institutions with fewer dedicated security resources than major research universities.", "sources": [ { "title": "'All buildings are safe': Eastern Florida State College campuses reopen after reported bomb threats (Fox 35 Orlando)", "url": "https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/officials-2-eastern-florida-state-college-campuses-evacuated-because-of-bomb-threats", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Eastern Florida State College campuses reopen after bomb threat (Click Orlando)", "url": "https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/13/eastern-florida-state-college-campuses-reopen-after-bomb-threat-school-officials-say/", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Eastern Florida State College Evacuates Cocoa, Palm Bay Campuses Following Bomb Threats (Space Coast Daily)", "url": "https://spacecoastdaily.com/2022/07/eastern-florida-state-college-evacuates-cocoa-palm-bay-campuses-following-bomb-threats/", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Police investigate bomb threat at 2 Eastern Florida State College campuses (WFTV)", "url": "https://www.wftv.com/news/local/police-investigate-bomb-threat-2-eastern-florida-state-college-campuses/V2RSKLSN4NFSBLHZMC4Z7ZDG64/", "type": "local-media" } ], "confidence": "medium", "tags": [ "bomb-threat", "community-college", "overseas-caller", "national-wave", "florida", "brevard-county", "cocoa", "palm-bay", "summer-2022", "fbi-traced" ], "dateAdded": "2026-05-31", "lastUpdated": "2026-06-10", "addedBy": "ingestion" }