{
  "id": "2026-02-17-embry-riddle-aeronautical-university-swatting",
  "slug": "embry-riddle-aeronautical-university-swatting-2026-02-17",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University",
    "shortName": "ERAU",
    "state": "FL",
    "type": "private-r2",
    "alertSystemName": "ERAU Alert",
    "enrollment": 11500
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2026-02-17",
    "endDate": "2026-02-18",
    "type": "swatting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Phoned shooting threat prompts a five-hour lockdown; a second false threat followed",
    "headlinePublic": "Phoned shooting threat prompts a five-hour lockdown; a second false threat followed",
    "summary": "On February 17, 2026, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Daytona Beach campus was [placed on lockdown](https://www.wftv.com/news/local/embry-riddle-campus-lockdown-after-shooting-threat-officials-say/AHIWIMAEZNGBBPDF6ZDUEJ47LE/) at 8:40 PM EST after a caller claimed to be five minutes away and planned to shoot up the campus with an AK-47. The campus was locked down for five hours before [no credible threat was found](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/active-shooter-threat-reported-embry-riddle-university-daytona-beach). A second false threat the following afternoon prompted another evacuation.",
    "outcome": "No shooter or weapons were found. The campus was cleared by approximately 1:40 AM EST on February 18. A second false threat on February 18 at 3:30 PM EST caused another evacuation but no lockdown. The FBI assisted in the investigation.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2026-02-17T20:40:00-05:00",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "Possible active threat reported in the Student Union. Stay away from the area.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/active-shooter-threat-reported-embry-riddle-university-daytona-beach",
      "sourceDescription": "Fox 35 Orlando (verbatim ERAU push notification quoted in coverage)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text of the initial ERAU push notification quoted in Fox 35 Orlando reporting on the February 17, 2026 lockdown",
        "Followed by additional instructions stating 'No matter where you are on campus, you shelter in place' as quoted by ClickOrlando",
        "The threat was called in at approximately 8:40 PM EST, with the caller stating they were five minutes away and planned to shoot up the campus"
      ],
      "characterCount": 78
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2026-02-17T21:49:00-05:00",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "ClickOrlando and Fox 35 Orlando reporting",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 1:40 AM EST on February 18, 2026",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "WFTV and University Herald reporting",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the evening of February 17, 2026, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Daytona Beach campus received a [phone call at 8:40 PM EST](https://www.wftv.com/news/local/embry-riddle-campus-lockdown-after-shooting-threat-officials-say/AHIWIMAEZNGBBPDF6ZDUEJ47LE/) from a caller who stated they were five minutes away and planned to start shooting up the campus with an AK-47. The university issued a campus-wide shelter-in-place alert, and law enforcement conducted a [building-by-building investigation](https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2026/02/18/embry-riddle-university-locked-down-over-possible-threat-police-say/) beginning with the Mori Hosseini Student Union. The [campus was cleared after approximately five hours](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/active-shooter-threat-reported-embry-riddle-university-daytona-beach), with no credible threat found. A [second false threat the following afternoon](https://www.hercampus.com/school/ucf/embry-riddle-aeronautical-university-faces-two-possible-active-shooter-threats/) around 3:30 PM EST prompted another evacuation but no lockdown. Some students expressed dissatisfaction with the university's communication during the incidents.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The specific and immediate nature of the threat (five minutes away with an AK-47) required maximum emergency response",
    "The five-hour lockdown extending past midnight created unique challenges for residential students",
    "A second false threat the next day demonstrated how repeat hoaxes compound campus anxiety and strain resources"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on lockdown after shooting threat (WFTV)",
      "url": "https://www.wftv.com/news/local/embry-riddle-campus-lockdown-after-shooting-threat-officials-say/AHIWIMAEZNGBBPDF6ZDUEJ47LE/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Embry-Riddle University lockdown lifted after big scare (ClickOrlando)",
      "url": "https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2026/02/18/embry-riddle-university-locked-down-over-possible-threat-police-say/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Embry-Riddle University lockdown lifted after no threat found on campus (Fox 35 Orlando)",
      "url": "https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/active-shooter-threat-reported-embry-riddle-university-daytona-beach",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Faces Two Possible Active Shooter Threats (Her Campus)",
      "url": "https://www.hercampus.com/school/ucf/embry-riddle-aeronautical-university-faces-two-possible-active-shooter-threats/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "swatting",
    "shooting-threat",
    "hoax",
    "florida",
    "daytona-beach",
    "private-university",
    "nighttime-lockdown",
    "repeat-threat"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-05-03",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}