{
  "id": "2014-10-06-mcla-bomb-threat-ferriter",
  "slug": "mcla-bomb-threat-ferriter-2014-10-06",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts",
    "shortName": "MCLA",
    "state": "MA",
    "type": "public-bachelors",
    "alertSystemName": "MCLA Emergency Alert",
    "enrollment": 1800
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2014-10-06",
    "type": "bomb-threat",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Phoned threat of two bombs empties all campus buildings; student later arrested",
    "headlinePublic": "Phoned threat of two bombs empties all campus buildings; student later arrested",
    "summary": "On October 6, 2014, a third-year student called North Adams Police at 9:40 AM EDT claiming two bombs were on campus and would detonate at 10:30 AM EDT, prompting the evacuation of [all campus buildings at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts](https://www.wamc.org/new-england-news/2014-10-07/suspect-charged-for-making-false-bomb-threat-at-mcla) in North Adams, Massachusetts. More than [1,800 faculty and students were evacuated](https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/update-north-adams-man-charged-in-mcla-bomb-threat/article_5a0cecb4-b071-5ba8-97b8-a1b871b95aa1.html) while the North Adams Fire Department conducted a building-by-building sweep; no devices were found and classes resumed at 2:00 PM EDT.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "outcome": "No devices found. Suspect Jarret Ferriter, 21, a third-year MCLA student, was arrested and later admitted the call was a false bomb threat made after he stopped taking medication for ADHD and depression. He was placed on two years probation, 150 hours community service, and ordered to pay more than $15,000 in restitution."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 10:15 AM EDT on October 6, 2014",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "There is a report of a bomb threat on the MCLA campus. All community member evacuate immediately to the Armory located on Ashland Street.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "http://www.iberkshires.com/story/47637/Police-Seeking-Suspect-in-MCLA-Bomb-Threat-.html",
      "sourceDescription": "iBerkshires, quoting the text message MCLA students received at approximately 10:15 AM EDT",
      "annotations": [
        "The grammatical slip 'All community member evacuate' is preserved exactly as quoted by iBerkshires, a marker of a message composed under deadline pressure with a claimed 10:30 AM EDT detonation only minutes away",
        "Unusually for a campus evacuation, the message names a specific off-campus rally point: the Armory on Ashland Street in North Adams",
        "iBerkshires reported students received this text around 10:15 AM EDT, 35 minutes after the 9:40 AM EDT threat call was made to North Adams Police rather than to the campus emergency line, leaving roughly 15 minutes before the claimed detonation time"
      ],
      "characterCount": 137
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2014-10-06T14:00:00-04:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from WAMC reporting that classes resumed at 2:00 PM after the North Adams Fire Department cleared all buildings",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is a small public liberal-arts college in North Adams, in the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts, with roughly 1,800 enrolled students and faculty. On the morning of October 6, 2014, [Jarret Ferriter, a 21-year-old third-year MCLA student, called the North Adams Police Department at approximately 9:40 AM EDT](https://www.wamc.org/new-england-news/2014-10-07/suspect-charged-for-making-false-bomb-threat-at-mcla) claiming that two bombs were on campus and would detonate at 10:30 AM EDT. The North Adams Fire Department swept all campus buildings while police cordoned off the area; [more than 1,800 faculty and students were evacuated](https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/update-north-adams-man-charged-in-mcla-bomb-threat/article_5a0cecb4-b071-5ba8-97b8-a1b871b95aa1.html). No devices were found and classes resumed at 2:00 PM EDT. Investigation traced the call to a community phone at Ferriter's campus townhouse from fingerprint evidence and statements from a roommate. [Ferriter later admitted in court](https://www.wamc.org/new-england-news/2015-03-11/north-adams-man-admits-to-making-false-mcla-bomb-threat) that he had stopped taking prescribed medication for ADHD and depression the morning of the call and described it as a 'prank.' He was placed on two years' probation, assigned 150 hours of community service, ordered to pay more than $15,000 in restitution to offset emergency response costs, and barred from the MCLA campus. The case illustrates how a single phoned threat can translate into a campus-wide evacuation costing thousands of dollars in public safety resources.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The threat was phoned to city police rather than campus emergency services, adding a relay step before MCLA initiated its evacuation",
    "A stated 10:30 AM EDT detonation window compressed the response window to under 50 minutes for clearing all 1,800 occupants",
    "Fingerprints on a campus community phone provided the physical evidence that led to Ferriter's arrest",
    "The court ordered more than $15,000 in restitution to offset emergency response costs"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Suspect Charged For Making False Bomb Threat At MCLA - WAMC",
      "url": "https://www.wamc.org/new-england-news/2014-10-07/suspect-charged-for-making-false-bomb-threat-at-mcla",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Update: North Adams Man Charged In MCLA Bomb Threat - Berkshire Eagle",
      "url": "https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/update-north-adams-man-charged-in-mcla-bomb-threat/article_5a0cecb4-b071-5ba8-97b8-a1b871b95aa1.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "North Adams Man Admits To Making False MCLA Bomb Threat - WAMC",
      "url": "https://www.wamc.org/new-england-news/2015-03-11/north-adams-man-admits-to-making-false-mcla-bomb-threat",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "All Clear Following Bomb Threat At North Adams College - WAMC",
      "url": "https://www.wamc.org/post/all-clear-following-bomb-threat-north-adams-college",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Suspect Charged in MCLA Bomb Threat - iBerkshires",
      "url": "http://www.iberkshires.com/story/47637/Police-Seeking-Suspect-in-MCLA-Bomb-Threat-.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "bomb-threat",
    "confirmed-hoax",
    "community-phone",
    "mental-health",
    "small-college",
    "massachusetts",
    "berkshires",
    "restitution",
    "medication"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-31",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}