{
  "id": "2025-09-02-university-of-maryland-swatting",
  "slug": "university-of-maryland-swatting-2025-09-02",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Maryland, College Park",
    "shortName": "UMD",
    "state": "MD",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "UMD Alerts",
    "enrollment": 41000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-09-02",
    "type": "swatting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Early-morning false report of a rifle near the main library; no evidence of gunfire found",
    "headlinePublic": "Early-morning false report of a rifle near the main library; no evidence of gunfire found",
    "summary": "At 4:17 AM EDT on September 2, 2025, a false report of a person with an AR-style weapon was called in to Prince George's County Public Safety Communications, claiming an active shooter near [McKeldin Library](https://dbknews.com/2025/09/02/false-active-shooter-mckeldin-library/) on UMD's campus. A UMPD officer already patrolling McKeldin Mall at that time saw and heard nothing suspicious, and the university's [gunshot detection system confirmed no shots fired](https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/education/university-of-maryland-hit-by-active-shooter-hoax/65-f089a215-f6e5-4229-abde-cf7579c81e9e). UMD was one of approximately 20 universities targeted by swatting hoaxes that week.",
    "outcome": "The report was quickly determined to be a false alarm with help from allied agencies and the Security Operations Center. No evidence of gunfire, no weapon, no injuries. The incident was part of a nationwide wave of swatting targeting approximately 20 universities.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "follow-up",
      "timestampApprox": "Morning of September 2, 2025 EDT, after the 4:17 AM call was determined false",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "At 4:17 a.m., UMPD was notified by the Prince George's County Public Safety Communications of a similar report in the McKeldin Library area. A UMPD officer was already patrolling McKeldin Mall. That officer had not heard or seen anything suspicious, and UMPD did not receive a notification from our gun-shot detection technology system. With the assistance from our allied agencies and our Security Operations Center, it was determined that this call was a false report and there was no threat to our community.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alert.umd.edu/alerts/umd-advisory-false-report-campus-incident",
      "sourceDescription": "UMD Alerts archive (UMD Advisory: False Report of Campus Incident)",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim text from the official UMD Advisory: False Report of Campus Incident posted to alert.umd.edu on September 2, 2025",
        "Notably, UMPD did not send a real-time emergency alert during the incident; the advisory was issued after the call had already been determined a hoax",
        "The 4:17 AM EDT timing minimized disruption, as few students were on campus at that hour"
      ],
      "characterCount": 511
    }
  ],
  "context": "At 4:17 AM EDT on September 2, 2025, the University of Maryland Police Department was alerted to a [report of an active shooter near McKeldin Library](https://dbknews.com/2025/09/02/false-active-shooter-mckeldin-library/) via Prince George's County Public Safety Communications. The caller reported a person with an AR-style weapon. However, a UMPD officer was already patrolling McKeldin Mall at that exact time and reported not seeing or hearing anything suspicious. The university's [gunshot detection technology system also had not triggered](https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/education/university-of-maryland-hit-by-active-shooter-hoax/65-f089a215-f6e5-4229-abde-cf7579c81e9e), providing a second layer of counter-evidence. With assistance from allied agencies and the Security Operations Center, the call was quickly determined to be a false report. UMD was among the [victims of an escalating wave of swatting](https://wtop.com/maryland/2025/09/false-report-of-shooting-at-umd-campus-latest-to-hit-colleges-across-us/) targeting college campuses, with approximately 20 universities hit by similar hoaxes that week alone. By mid-September 2025, [at least 45 colleges and universities](https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/news/surge-in-swatting-incidents-u-s-colleges-continue-to-be-targeted-by-false-active-shooter-reports/173172/) had been victimized during the fall semester. The [4:17 AM EDT timing of the call](https://www.fox5dc.com/news/fake-shooting-report-umd-comes-amidst-wave-college-campus-hoaxes) minimized disruption, as few students were on campus.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "UMD's gunshot detection system and a patrolling officer provided immediate counter-evidence, enabling rapid confirmation of the false alarm",
    "The 4:17 AM EDT timing minimized disruption but also meant fewer potential witnesses to corroborate or refute the report",
    "UMD was one of approximately 20 universities targeted by swatting hoaxes in a single week during fall 2025"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "UMD receives false report of active shooter near McKeldin Library (The Diamondback)",
      "url": "https://dbknews.com/2025/09/02/false-active-shooter-mckeldin-library/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "University of Maryland reports false active shooter on campus (WUSA9)",
      "url": "https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/education/university-of-maryland-hit-by-active-shooter-hoax/65-f089a215-f6e5-4229-abde-cf7579c81e9e",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "False report of shooting at U.Md. campus is latest hit to colleges across US (WTOP)",
      "url": "https://wtop.com/maryland/2025/09/false-report-of-shooting-at-umd-campus-latest-to-hit-colleges-across-us/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Fake shooting report at UMD comes amidst wave of college campus hoaxes (FOX 5 DC)",
      "url": "https://www.fox5dc.com/news/fake-shooting-report-umd-comes-amidst-wave-college-campus-hoaxes",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Surge in Swatting Incidents: Number of Hoax Threats Continues to Grow (Campus Safety Magazine)",
      "url": "https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/news/surge-in-swatting-incidents-u-s-colleges-continue-to-be-targeted-by-false-active-shooter-reports/173172/",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "title": "UMD Alerts archive (UMD Advisory: False Report of Campus Incident)",
      "url": "https://alert.umd.edu/alerts/umd-advisory-false-report-campus-incident",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "swatting",
    "maryland",
    "hoax",
    "gunshot-detection",
    "wave-of-threats",
    "public-university",
    "overnight-incident"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}