{
  "id": "2025-11-12-university-of-utah-swatting",
  "slug": "university-of-utah-swatting-2025-11-12",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Utah",
    "shortName": "Utah",
    "state": "UT",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "Campus Alert",
    "enrollment": 35000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-11-12",
    "type": "swatting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax",
    "headline": "Caller claimed a stabbing and rifle in a dormitory; room-by-room search found nothing",
    "headlinePublic": "Caller claimed a stabbing and rifle in a dormitory; room-by-room search found nothing",
    "summary": "On November 12, 2025, a caller identifying himself as 'Jonathan Smith' told Salt Lake City Police he had [stabbed his girlfriend 20 times and had an assault rifle](https://www.abc4.com/news/wasatch-front/swatting-incident-university-of-utah-dorm/) at Kahlert Village, a freshman dormitory at the University of Utah. Police evacuated and searched the building room by room, finding no victim or threat. The incident was [classified as a swatting hoax](https://attheu.utah.edu/campus-life/alert/u-of-u-campus-alert-swatting-incident-at-kahlert-village-not-a-credible-threat/).",
    "outcome": "A systematic floor-by-floor, room-by-room search found no victim, no suspect, and no credible threat. Students were allowed to return to their dorms that evening. The caller used a computer-based system to make the call difficult to trace."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Shortly after 7:31 PM MST on November 12, 2025",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Daily Utah Chronicle and ABC4 reporting",
      "annotations": []
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2025-11-12T21:48:00-07:00",
      "timestampApprox": "9:48 PM MST on November 12, 2025",
      "channel": "push-notification",
      "verbatimText": "Swatting incident at Kahlert Village was not a credible threat. More info in email and at trusted link below",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://dailyutahchronicle.com/2025/11/12/police-and-randall-says-reported-stabbing-at-kv-is-swatting-incident/",
      "sourceDescription": "Daily Utah Chronicle quoting the official U of U safety alert text",
      "annotations": [
        "Sent at 9:48 PM MST on November 12, 2025, about 41 minutes after Police Chief Carver and President Randall confirmed swatting at a 9:07 PM MST press conference",
        "Notably terse for a campus-wide alert resolving a multi-hour shelter-in-place, students later criticized the lag between resolution and notification",
        "The 'trusted link below' refers to the @theU campus communications page where a fuller explanation followed"
      ],
      "characterCount": 108
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the evening of November 12, 2025, Salt Lake City Police received a call on their non-emergency administrative line from someone who identified himself as 'Jonathan Smith.' The caller claimed he had [stabbed his girlfriend 20 times and possessed an assault rifle](https://www.abc4.com/news/wasatch-front/swatting-incident-university-of-utah-dorm/), threatening to 'shoot up the school' if police did not respond within 20 minutes. University of Utah Police received notice from SLCPD at 7:31 PM MST. Officers responded to [Kahlert Village](https://attheu.utah.edu/campus-life/alert/u-of-u-campus-alert-swatting-incident-at-kahlert-village-not-a-credible-threat/), a freshman dormitory at 265 South 1850 East, and evacuated students to surrounding buildings where they sheltered in place. A large search team conducted a [floor-by-floor, room-by-room sweep](https://kutv.com/news/local/students-shelter-in-place-after-swatting-incident-on-university-of-utah-campus) of the building and found nothing suspicious. The caller had used a computer-based system to make the call [difficult to trace](https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/northern-utah/heavy-police-presence-at-university-of-utah-dormitory), but investigators planned to use technology from other agencies, including the FBI, to identify the suspect. Students were allowed back into their dorms that evening. Unlike the August 2025 Purgatory wave that targeted campus libraries, this incident targeted a residence hall with a more elaborate false narrative.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The caller used a non-emergency line and a computer-based system to disguise the call's origin, making it harder to trace",
    "Unlike most Purgatory-wave calls that targeted libraries, this incident targeted a freshman dormitory with an elaborate false stabbing narrative",
    "Police conducted a full room-by-room search of the residential building before clearing the incident"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Swatting incident at University of Utah dorm causes students to shelter in place (ABC4)",
      "url": "https://www.abc4.com/news/wasatch-front/swatting-incident-university-of-utah-dorm/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Campus Alert: Swatting incident at Kahlert Village not a credible threat (@theU)",
      "url": "https://attheu.utah.edu/campus-life/alert/u-of-u-campus-alert-swatting-incident-at-kahlert-village-not-a-credible-threat/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hoax threat targeting UofU dorm triggers major response before search clears building (KUTV)",
      "url": "https://kutv.com/news/local/students-shelter-in-place-after-swatting-incident-on-university-of-utah-campus",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Heavy police presence at University of Utah dormitory after 'swatting' incident (Fox 13)",
      "url": "https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/northern-utah/heavy-police-presence-at-university-of-utah-dormitory",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police say reported stabbing at KV is a 'swatting incident' (Daily Utah Chronicle)",
      "url": "https://dailyutahchronicle.com/2025/11/12/police-and-randall-says-reported-stabbing-at-kv-is-swatting-incident/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "swatting",
    "dorm-targeted",
    "utah",
    "kahlert-village",
    "elaborate-hoax",
    "room-by-room-search",
    "fbi-investigation",
    "computer-spoofed-call"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-02",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-06-27",
  "addedBy": "ingestion",
  "communityResponse": {
    "sentiment": "negative",
    "summary": "Students sheltering in Kahlert Village saw dozens of officers but got no university alert until the incident was over; U public-safety officials later [acknowledged the need for better emergency communication](https://kutv.com/news/local/u-of-u-public-safety-officials-acknowledge-need-for-better-emergency-communication).",
    "quotes": [
      {
        "text": "And then I got a message like two hours later, saying it was swatting and that it was over.",
        "speaker": "Charlie Guelle, freshman, Kahlert Village resident",
        "source": "KUTV (2News)",
        "sourceUrl": "https://kutv.com/news/local/u-of-u-public-safety-officials-acknowledge-need-for-better-emergency-communication",
        "sourceType": "local-media",
        "isVerbatimConfirmed": false
      }
    ],
    "confidence": "medium"
  }
}