{
  "id": "2019-06-26-northern-virginia-community-college-loudoun-suspicious-package",
  "slug": "northern-virginia-community-college-loudoun-suspicious-package-2019-06-26",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Northern Virginia Community College",
    "shortName": "NOVA",
    "state": "VA",
    "type": "community-college",
    "alertSystemName": "NOVA Alert",
    "enrollment": 75000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2019-06-26",
    "type": "suspicious-package",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Suspicious package, June 26, 2019",
    "summary": "On Wednesday, June 26, 2019, NOVA's Loudoun campus in Sterling was evacuated and closed for the day after a suspicious package was found in the Waddell Building. [NOVA Police received the report at 11:12 a.m.](https://loudounnow.com/2019/06/26/nvcc-closes-loudoun-campus-because-of-suspicious-package) and evacuated first the building and then the entire campus of about 700 people. After investigation by campus police, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, and Loudoun County Fire-Rescue, [the package was determined to be a student's science project](https://www.loudountimes.com/news/suspicious-package-forces-evacuation-at-northern-virginia-community-college-s/article_b84d87e0-9831-11e9-b2e5-6f3c5d028ac3.html) that had been placed inside a student-newspaper vending machine, and was deemed not a threat.",
    "outcome": "The package was found to be a harmless student science project. Classes and activities remained cancelled for the rest of the day; no injuries.",
    "resolution": "unfounded"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Late morning, Wednesday, June 26, 2019 (after the 11:12 a.m. report)",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://loudounnow.com/2019/06/26/nvcc-closes-loudoun-campus-because-of-suspicious-package",
      "sourceDescription": "Loudoun Now coverage — reconstructed",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Midday, Wednesday, June 26, 2019",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://wtop.com/loudoun-county/2019/06/northern-virginia-community-colleges-loudoun-campus-closed-for-rest-of-wednesday/",
      "sourceDescription": "WTOP coverage — reconstructed",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "The LO Campus is all clear. The campus remains closed for the remainder of the day and evening. Plans forthcoming for students to collect personal property in buildings. At this time, no entry into buildings authorized without permission. Details to follow.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/novaloudoun/status/1143945911766138880",
      "sourceDescription": "@novaloudoun (NOVA Loudoun Campus; handle @ShoutOutLoudoun at the time) on X (verbatim); official campus post embedded in the cited WTOP coverage",
      "annotations": [
        "Lane B flip 2026-10-14: official NOVA Loudoun Campus post 1143945911766138880 (2019-06-26 2:15:33 p.m. EDT; posted as @ShoutOutLoudoun, same account now @novaloudoun) embedded in the cited WTOP article, which reports that 'the campus tweeted that it was \"all clear,\" but that closures remained for the rest of the day and evening.' Two X API reads and CDN syndication agree byte-for-byte on the 257-char product. Replaces the 206-char news-reconstructed SMS all-clear; channel sms → twitter-x; timestampApprox → timestamp from the post. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office had determined the package was not threatening (a student's science project). Seqs 1–2 stay unconfirmed; not the first burst, so no 25-pass coding owed.",
        "This is a genuine all-clear (it lifts the threat) but the campus stayed closed for the remainder of the day, so the message distinguishes 'no threat' from 'resume normal operations now.'"
      ],
      "characterCount": 257,
      "timestamp": "2019-06-26T14:15:33-04:00",
      "lastUpdated": "2026-10-14"
    }
  ],
  "context": "Northern Virginia Community College is one of the largest community colleges in the United States, with a Loudoun campus in Sterling. On June 26, 2019, [a suspicious package in the Waddell Building prompted NOVA Police](https://loudounnow.com/2019/06/26/nvcc-closes-loudoun-campus-because-of-suspicious-package), who received the report at 11:12 a.m., to evacuate the building and then the entire campus of roughly 700 people. Loudoun County Sheriff's deputies and Fire-Rescue responded, and [the package was ultimately identified as a student's science project](https://www.loudountimes.com/news/suspicious-package-forces-evacuation-at-northern-virginia-community-college-s/article_b84d87e0-9831-11e9-b2e5-6f3c5d028ac3.html) left inside a student-newspaper vending machine. [Classes stayed cancelled for the rest of the day](https://wtop.com/loudoun-county/2019/06/northern-virginia-community-colleges-loudoun-campus-closed-for-rest-of-wednesday/). The case is a useful community-college example of how an unattended-item report cascades into a full-campus closure under a low risk tolerance, and how the eventual all-clear can confirm 'no threat' while operations stay suspended.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "A single unattended package escalated from a one-building evacuation to a full closure of ~700 people, showing the low risk tolerance community colleges apply to suspicious-item reports",
    "The item was a harmless student science project, making this an 'unfounded' outcome rather than a confirmed or hoax threat",
    "NOVA's response time is anchored to the documented 11:12 a.m. police report, a rare precise timestamp for a community-college incident"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "NVCC Closes Loudoun Campus Because of Suspicious Package",
      "url": "https://loudounnow.com/2019/06/26/nvcc-closes-loudoun-campus-because-of-suspicious-package",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "UPDATE: Suspicious package at Northern Virginia Community College deemed not a threat",
      "url": "https://www.loudountimes.com/news/suspicious-package-forces-evacuation-at-northern-virginia-community-college-s/article_b84d87e0-9831-11e9-b2e5-6f3c5d028ac3.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Northern Virginia Community College's Loudoun Campus closed for rest of Wednesday",
      "url": "https://wtop.com/loudoun-county/2019/06/northern-virginia-community-colleges-loudoun-campus-closed-for-rest-of-wednesday/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Fox 5 DC Facebook repost of the NOVA Alert (June 26, 2019)",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/fox5dc/posts/nova-alertlocation-suspicious-package-lw-building-evacuate-immediatelyfollow-ins/10157828580922494/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "type": "official-social",
      "url": "https://x.com/novaloudoun/status/1143945911766138880",
      "title": "@novaloudoun (then @ShoutOutLoudoun) Loudoun Campus all-clear (X)",
      "accessedDate": "2026-10-14"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "suspicious-package",
    "community-college",
    "virginia",
    "loudoun",
    "evacuation",
    "unfounded",
    "emergency-notification"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-10-14",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}