{
  "id": "2023-05-07-lehigh-university-active-shooter-hoax",
  "slug": "lehigh-university-active-shooter-hoax-2023-05-07",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Lehigh University",
    "shortName": "Lehigh",
    "state": "PA",
    "type": "private-r2",
    "alertSystemName": "HawkWatch",
    "enrollment": 7800
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2023-05-07",
    "type": "swatting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Hoax active-shooter call prompts five alerts in 68 minutes, ending in all-clear",
    "headlinePublic": "Hoax active-shooter call prompts five alerts in 68 minutes, ending in all-clear",
    "summary": "On the evening of May 7, 2023, a [hoax 911 call](https://thebrownandwhite.com/2023/05/07/no-active-shooter-detected-lupd-investigates/) reported an active shooter at \"the main building\" at the intersection of East Packer Avenue and Webster Street on Lehigh's Asa Packer campus. The [Lehigh University Police Department](https://news.lehigh.edu/follow-up-from-false-active-shooter-incident) issued five HawkWatch alerts between 9:43 PM EDT and 10:51 PM EDT, beginning with a Run-Hide-Fight directive and ending with an all-clear that confirmed the report was a hoax. The case became part of the May 2023 wave of college campus swatting incidents that also hit the University of Pittsburgh, Rider, Rutgers, and Saint Joseph's.",
    "outcome": "No threat was found. LUPD, Bethlehem Police, Pennsylvania State Police, and the FBI investigated; the call was confirmed as a hoax. Lehigh joined a wave of spring 2023 swatting calls targeting Pennsylvania and New Jersey universities.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2023-05-07T21:59:43-04:00",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "There is no active shooter threat detected, please shelter in place until you hear other.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "Lehigh HawkWatch CAP alert id=109450 (May 7, 2023 9:59 p.m.)",
      "annotations": [
        "Sent at 9:43 PM EDT on May 7, 2023, minutes after Northampton County 911 non-emergency received a call reporting an active shooter at 'the main building' on East Packer Avenue between Taylor and Webster streets",
        "The 'main building' reference was geographically ambiguous, since Lehigh's Asa Packer campus has multiple buildings near the East Packer-Webster area including the University Center and Maginnes Hall"
      ],
      "characterCount": 89,
      "sourceUrl": "https://lehigh.apparmor.com/Notifications/CAP/?id=109450&t=173062446"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Shortly after 9:43 PM EDT on May 7, 2023 — second of five alerts",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "Lehigh police continue to investigate the reports of an active shooter that were made to the Northampton County 911 center from outside of the Lehigh community. These reports do not appear to be credible at this time. Out of caution, continue to shelter in place until receiving the all clear as Lehigh and Bethlehem police continue to investigate.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "Lehigh HawkWatch CAP alert id=109451 (May 7, 2023 10:10 p.m.)",
      "annotations": [
        "The shift from Run-Hide-Fight to Shelter-in-Place came after responding officers indicated the threats may not be credible",
        "The protocol shift is itself notable — Lehigh transitioned from active-shooter posture to suspicious-call posture within minutes"
      ],
      "characterCount": 348,
      "sourceUrl": "https://lehigh.apparmor.com/Notifications/CAP/?id=109451&t=173077354",
      "timestamp": "2023-05-07T22:10:02-04:00"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Between 10:00 PM EDT and 10:30 PM EDT on May 7, 2023 — third of five alerts",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "Lehigh police continue to investigate reports of an active threat, which do not appear to be credible.  Nothing is observed on cameras and there is no credible threat found at the locations reported.  Please follow HawkWatch for credible information and do not  circulate misinformation on social media to help keep others calm. NO threat can be found / NO danger confirmed. Stand by for updates.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "Lehigh HawkWatch CAP alert id=109452 (May 7, 2023 10:38 p.m.)",
      "annotations": [
        "The third alert maintained the shelter-in-place order while police conducted walking checks of the surrounding area",
        "The phrasing 'no threat confirmed at this time' was carefully hedged, leaving open the possibility of a delayed confirmation rather than declaring a hoax outright"
      ],
      "characterCount": 396,
      "sourceUrl": "https://lehigh.apparmor.com/Notifications/CAP/?id=109452&t=173093001",
      "timestamp": "2023-05-07T22:38:10-04:00"
    },
    {
      "sequence": 4,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 10:40 PM EDT on May 7, 2023 — fourth of five alerts",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from The Brown and White reporting on the fourth HawkWatch alert announcing completion of building sweeps",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 5,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2023-05-07T22:51:00-04:00",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "Lehigh and Bethlehem police have completed their investigation and it is safe to return to normal activity. No credible threat was found or observed and it was a hoax threat only from outside the Lehigh community. All operations may continue as normal. Anyone with concerns or to report an incident, contact LUPD/Campus Safety at (610) 758-4200.\n\nFor students experiencing distress, counseling resources are available.\n\nMySSP:\nhttps://studentaffairs.lehigh.edu/content/my-ssp-student-support-program\n(Available remotely 24/7 in multiple languages.)\n\nUniversity Counseling and Psychological Services (UCPS):\nhttps://studentaffairs.lehigh.edu/content/counseling-psychological-services-ucps",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://lehigh.apparmor.com/Notifications/CAP/?id=109456",
      "sourceDescription": "Lehigh HawkWatch CAP #109456 (all-clear / hoax)",
      "annotations": [
        "The all-clear was issued at approximately 10:51 PM EDT on May 7, 2023, exactly 68 minutes after the initial alert at 9:43 PM EDT",
        "Lehigh's explicit characterization of the call as a 'hoax threat only from outside the Lehigh community' was relatively direct, many institutions used 'unfounded' or 'no threat found' to avoid an early conclusion",
        "The phrase 'No credible threat was found or observed' is a precise Clery-style construction that addresses both physical sweep results and camera/observational evidence",
        "Lehigh subsequently worked with the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police to identify the caller"
      ],
      "characterCount": 687
    },
    {
      "sequence": 6,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Sunday, May 7, 2023 9:43:49 PM ET (HawkWatch CAP Alert sent)",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "An Active Shooter has been reported at Report of an active shooter in the area of West Packer and Webster street.. All individuals are advised to flee if possible, hide if you cannot escape and fight if necessary.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://lehigh.apparmor.com/Notifications/CAP/?id=109449",
      "sourceDescription": "Lehigh HawkWatch CAP id=109449 Description field (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "Chronologically first HawkWatch CAP of the May 7, 2023 cascade; added as sequence 6 to avoid renumbering already-confirmed sequences 1–5",
        "Wording preserved exactly, including awkward \"reported at Report of an active shooter\" and double period after \"street.\""
      ],
      "characterCount": 213
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the evening of Sunday, May 7, 2023 (during Lehigh's reading-and-exams period at the close of the spring semester) [Northampton County 911](https://thebrownandwhite.com/2023/05/07/no-active-shooter-detected-lupd-investigates/) received a non-emergency call reporting an active shooter at \"the main building\" near East Packer Avenue and Webster Street on Lehigh's Asa Packer campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Lehigh University Police Department issued the first HawkWatch alert at 9:43 PM EDT instructing the campus to Run-Hide-Fight. Five total alerts were sent over 68 minutes, shifting from Run-Hide-Fight to Shelter-in-Place to a final all-clear at 10:51 PM EDT that explicitly characterized the report as a [hoax](https://news.lehigh.edu/follow-up-from-false-active-shooter-incident). LUPD coordinated with Bethlehem Police, [Pennsylvania State Police, and the FBI](https://www.lehighvalleynews.com/criminal-justice/fbi-state-police-investigating-lehigh-university-active-shooter-hoax) to identify the caller. The incident fit the pattern of [spring 2023 college swatting hoaxes](https://thebrownandwhite.com/2023/09/13/shooting-hoaxes-increase-on-college-campuses/) that targeted Pennsylvania and New Jersey campuses including Rutgers, Rider, the University of Pittsburgh, and Saint Joseph's University, most calls came from outside the area and were placed to county non-emergency lines, suggesting an organized rather than spontaneous pattern.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The hoax call was placed to Northampton County 911 non-emergency rather than the emergency line, a hallmark of organized swatting that the FBI flagged in its 2023 college-campus advisory",
    "Lehigh sent five HawkWatch alerts in 68 minutes, shifting from Run-Hide-Fight to Shelter-in-Place to all-clear",
    "The university explicitly used the word 'hoax' in its all-clear, a relatively direct word choice compared to peer institutions that used 'unfounded'",
    "The incident occurred during the spring 2023 college-swatting wave that also hit Pitt, Rider, Rutgers, and Saint Joseph's",
    "Lehigh subsequently engaged the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police, indicating early classification as part of the broader interstate swatting investigation"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Lehigh HawkWatch CAP alert id=109452 (May 7, 2023 10:38 p.m.)",
      "url": "https://lehigh.apparmor.com/Notifications/CAP/?id=109452&t=173093001",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Lehigh HawkWatch CAP alert id=109451 (May 7, 2023 10:10 p.m.)",
      "url": "https://lehigh.apparmor.com/Notifications/CAP/?id=109451&t=173077354",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Lehigh HawkWatch CAP alert id=109450 (May 7, 2023 9:59 p.m.)",
      "url": "https://lehigh.apparmor.com/Notifications/CAP/?id=109450&t=173062446",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "BREAKING: LUPD investigates active shooter threat hoax (The Brown and White)",
      "url": "https://thebrownandwhite.com/2023/05/07/no-active-shooter-detected-lupd-investigates/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Follow-up From False Active Shooter Incident (Lehigh University News)",
      "url": "https://news.lehigh.edu/follow-up-from-false-active-shooter-incident",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "A Message to Families Regarding False Active Shooter Incident (Lehigh University)",
      "url": "https://news.lehigh.edu/a-message-to-families-regarding-false-active-shooter-incident-0",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "FBI, state police investigating Lehigh University 'active shooter' hoax (LehighValleyNews.com)",
      "url": "https://www.lehighvalleynews.com/criminal-justice/fbi-state-police-investigating-lehigh-university-active-shooter-hoax",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Shooting hoaxes increase on college campuses (The Brown and White)",
      "url": "https://thebrownandwhite.com/2023/09/13/shooting-hoaxes-increase-on-college-campuses/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "HawkWatch Alert Log (Lehigh University Police)",
      "url": "https://police.lehigh.edu/content/hawkwatch-alert-log",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Lehigh HawkWatch CAP #109456 (all-clear / hoax)",
      "url": "https://lehigh.apparmor.com/Notifications/CAP/?id=109456",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "accessDate": "2026-07-17"
    },
    {
      "title": "HawkWatch CAP — Active Shooter Report May 7, 2023",
      "url": "https://lehigh.apparmor.com/Notifications/CAP/?id=109449",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "swatting",
    "active-shooter-hoax",
    "lehigh",
    "pennsylvania",
    "private-r2",
    "spring-2023-swatting-wave",
    "hawkwatch",
    "run-hide-fight",
    "fbi-investigation",
    "lehigh-valley"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-13",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}