{
  "id": "2014-05-06-rowan-university-edgewood-park-gas-leak",
  "slug": "rowan-university-edgewood-park-gas-leak-2014-05-06",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Rowan University",
    "shortName": "Rowan",
    "state": "NJ",
    "type": "public-r2",
    "alertSystemName": "Rowan Alert",
    "enrollment": 19000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2014-05-06",
    "type": "gas-leak",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Lawnmower strikes a gas line at an apartment building; about 58 students evacuated",
    "headlinePublic": "Lawnmower strikes a gas line at an apartment building; about 58 students evacuated",
    "summary": "On the morning of May 6, 2014, a lawnmower struck a gas line outside [Building 500 of the Edgewood Park Apartments on Rowan University's Glassboro, New Jersey campus](https://6abc.com/gas-leak-evacuation-rowan-university-apartment-building/46255/), causing a minor leak. About [58 students were evacuated from the building](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/suspects-gas-leak-at-apartment-complex-on-campus-of-rowan-university/) around 8:20 a.m. EDT; South Jersey Gas crews responded and students were allowed back in around 10:30 a.m. EDT No injuries were reported.",
    "outcome": "No injuries. South Jersey Gas repaired the line and the roughly 58 displaced students were allowed back into their apartments by about 10:30 a.m.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Morning, approximately 8:30 AM EDT on May 6, 2014",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "There is a gas leak at the Edgewood Park Apartments, Building 500. Any students that are still inside the building need to evacuate immediately.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/RowanUniversity/posts/there-is-a-gas-leak-at-the-edgewood-park-apartments-building-500any-students-sti/10152334936115668/",
      "sourceDescription": "Rowan University official Facebook post about the Edgewood Park Building 500 gas leak, also quoted by 6abc Philadelphia",
      "annotations": [
        "Quoted verbatim from Rowan's official Facebook notice naming Edgewood Park Apartments Building 500 and directing students to evacuate; the same text was reproduced by 6abc Philadelphia.",
        "The leak was caused by a lawnmower striking a gas line outside Building 500, a reminder that routine grounds work is a recurring campus gas hazard.",
        "The notice specifically targeted Building 500 rather than the whole Edgewood Park complex, scoping the evacuation tightly."
      ],
      "characterCount": 144
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Approximately 10:30 AM EDT on May 6, 2014",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "South Jersey Gas is at Edgewood Park Apts & repairs are in progress. The gas leak is under control. Residents can re-enter the building.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceDescription": "@RowanUniversity on X (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "This is a genuine all-clear, explicitly lifting the evacuation and reopening the building roughly two hours after the leak.",
        "Corrected to exact fxtwitter display text."
      ],
      "characterCount": 136,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/RowanUniversity/status/463665799094611968"
    }
  ],
  "context": "Rowan University's main campus in Glassboro, New Jersey, includes the on-campus Edgewood Park Apartments. On the morning of May 6, 2014, a lawnmower struck a gas line outside [Building 500, prompting an evacuation](https://6abc.com/gas-leak-evacuation-rowan-university-apartment-building/46255/) of the roughly 58 students who lived there. Rowan posted an [official notice on its Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/RowanUniversity/posts/there-is-a-gas-leak-at-the-edgewood-park-apartments-building-500any-students-sti/10152334936115668/) directing students to evacuate, and [CBS Philadelphia reported the residents were back inside by about 10:30 a.m. EDT](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/suspects-gas-leak-at-apartment-complex-on-campus-of-rowan-university/) after South Jersey Gas made repairs, with no injuries. The incident occurred during the early-May finals period when many residents were home studying. It is a textbook small-footprint gas notification (a single building, a same-morning all-clear, and an external utility handling the repair) and it illustrates that mundane grounds maintenance, not just aging infrastructure, is a frequent trigger for campus gas evacuations.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "A lawnmower striking a buried gas line shows that routine grounds maintenance is a recurring cause of campus gas leaks, not only aging pipes",
    "Rowan scoped the evacuation tightly to Building 500 rather than the entire Edgewood Park complex, limiting disruption",
    "The university used its official social media alongside its alert system to push the notice, a common multi-channel approach",
    "South Jersey Gas controlled the repair timeline, and the all-clear followed within about two hours with no injuries"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Students allowed back after gas leak at Rowan University apartments - 6abc Philadelphia",
      "url": "https://6abc.com/gas-leak-evacuation-rowan-university-apartment-building/46255/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Suspected Gas Leak At Apartment Complex On Campus Of Rowan University - CBS Philadelphia",
      "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/suspects-gas-leak-at-apartment-complex-on-campus-of-rowan-university/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Rowan University official Facebook post - Edgewood Park Building 500 gas leak",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/RowanUniversity/posts/there-is-a-gas-leak-at-the-edgewood-park-apartments-building-500any-students-sti/10152334936115668/",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "type": "official-social",
      "title": "@RowanUniversity on X (verbatim)",
      "url": "https://x.com/RowanUniversity/status/463665799094611968"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "gas-leak",
    "evacuation",
    "emergency-notification",
    "new-jersey",
    "residence-hall",
    "finals-week"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}