{
  "id": "2025-08-27-mercer-university-swatting",
  "slug": "mercer-university-swatting-2025-08-27",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Mercer University",
    "shortName": "Mercer",
    "state": "GA",
    "type": "private-r2",
    "alertSystemName": "Mercer Alert",
    "enrollment": 9000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-08-27",
    "type": "swatting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Swatting call about an active threat prompts a shelter-in-place; no threat found",
    "headlinePublic": "Swatting call about an active threat prompts a shelter-in-place; no threat found",
    "summary": "On August 27, 2025, at approximately 12:04 PM EDT, [Mercer University received a threatening call](https://www.mercercluster.com/article/2025/08/active-threat-reported-on-campus) about an active threat on its Macon campus, prompting a shelter-in-place order. Bibb County deputies arrived within three minutes, and the [shelter-in-place was lifted at 1:25 PM EDT](https://www.wpganews.com/2025/08/28/mercer-university-students-speak-false-alarm-active-threat-campus/) after campus police and sheriff's deputies found no threat.",
    "outcome": "No shooter or threat was found. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office and Mercer Police ruled it a false alarm. The incident was one of three Georgia college swatting calls that day. FBI Atlanta was investigating."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Shortly after 12:04 PM EDT on August 27, 2025",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "An active threat has been reported on the Macon campus.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.mercercluster.com/article/2025/08/active-threat-reported-on-campus",
      "sourceDescription": "The Mercer Cluster student newspaper (verbatim Mercer Alert text)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim Mercer Alert push-notification text quoted by The Mercer Cluster student newspaper from the August 27, 2025 alert sent at 12:15 PM EDT",
        "The shelter-in-place instruction was included with the email version sent to students and faculty, with no further details about the nature of the threat",
        "Mercer was one of three Georgia colleges targeted on the same day, alongside Central Georgia Technical College and at least one other institution"
      ],
      "characterCount": 55
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 1:25 PM EDT on August 27, 2025",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "There is no active threat on the Macon campus.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.mercercluster.com/article/2025/08/active-threat-reported-on-campus",
      "sourceDescription": "The Mercer Cluster student newspaper (verbatim all-clear text)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim Mercer Alert all-clear text quoted by The Mercer Cluster student newspaper after the shelter-in-place was lifted at approximately 1:25 PM EDT",
        "The full shelter-in-place lasted approximately 80 minutes from the 12:04 PM EDT threatening call to the 1:25 PM EDT lift",
        "FBI Atlanta confirmed awareness of the Georgia college swatting incidents and was working with local law enforcement"
      ],
      "characterCount": 46
    }
  ],
  "context": "On August 27, 2025, [Mercer University received a threatening call at 12:04 PM EDT](https://www.mercercluster.com/article/2025/08/active-threat-reported-on-campus) reporting an active threat on its Macon campus. Bibb County Sheriff's deputies arrived within three minutes and joined Mercer University Police in sweeping the campus. The [shelter-in-place was lifted at 1:25 PM EDT](https://www.wpganews.com/2025/08/28/mercer-university-students-speak-false-alarm-active-threat-campus/) after no threat was found. The incident was [one of at least three Georgia colleges](https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/multiple-georgia-colleges-respond-to-false-shooter-threats/93-42761eb0-acb7-45f5-948f-af23550f7a80) targeted on the same day, including Central Georgia Technical College, which had been locked down the day before for a similar hoax call. [FBI Atlanta confirmed](https://wgxa.tv/newsletter-daily/fbi-atlanta-investigates-recent-surge-of-swatting-calls-at-georgia-colleges-and-schools-bibb-county-swatting-calls-mercer-university-central-ga-technical-college-macon-rutland-perry-high-schools?photo=1) it was aware of the surge and was working with local partners. The Georgia cluster came amid the late-August 2025 national wave of college swatting calls, which reached smaller private institutions and technical colleges across the state.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Mercer was one of at least three Georgia colleges hit on the same day, showing geographic clustering in the swatting campaign",
    "Bibb County deputies arrived within three minutes, demonstrating rapid law enforcement response",
    "FBI Atlanta publicly confirmed awareness and investigation of the Georgia college swatting surge"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Shelter-in-place lifted on campus after active threat reported (The Mercer Cluster)",
      "url": "https://www.mercercluster.com/article/2025/08/active-threat-reported-on-campus",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Mercer University students speak on false alarm (WPGA News)",
      "url": "https://www.wpganews.com/2025/08/28/mercer-university-students-speak-false-alarm-active-threat-campus/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Multiple Georgia colleges respond to false shooter threats (13WMAZ)",
      "url": "https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/multiple-georgia-colleges-respond-to-false-shooter-threats/93-42761eb0-acb7-45f5-948f-af23550f7a80",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "FBI Atlanta investigates surge of swatting calls at Georgia colleges (WGXA)",
      "url": "https://wgxa.tv/newsletter-daily/fbi-atlanta-investigates-recent-surge-of-swatting-calls-at-georgia-colleges-and-schools-bibb-county-swatting-calls-mercer-university-central-ga-technical-college-macon-rutland-perry-high-schools?photo=1",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "swatting",
    "active-shooter-hoax",
    "purgatory",
    "georgia",
    "macon",
    "fbi-investigation",
    "private-university",
    "multiple-schools-same-day"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-04-04",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}