{
  "id": "2023-01-17-yale-university-swatting",
  "slug": "yale-university-swatting-2023-01-17",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Yale University",
    "shortName": "Yale",
    "state": "CT",
    "type": "private-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "Yale ALERT",
    "enrollment": 14776
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2023-01-17",
    "type": "swatting",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Overnight hoax call claiming an armed man locked down Old Campus for nearly three hours",
    "headlinePublic": "Overnight hoax call claiming an armed man locked down Old Campus for nearly three hours",
    "summary": "An anonymous caller contacted the [Yale Police Department](https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/01/17/breaking-news-false-reports-of-armed-student-in-bingham-hall-triggers-old-campus-lockdown/) at 12:16 a.m. EST on January 17, 2023 claiming to have seriously harmed a female student and to possess a knife and hunting rifle inside Bingham Hall. The nearly three-hour [swatting incident](https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/01/18/more-details-emerge-about-old-campus-swatting-incident/) forced a shelter-in-place for all of Old Campus before police determined the call was a hoax.",
    "outcome": "Police determined the calls were a false report (swatting) at approximately 3:00 a.m. No students were harmed. The Yale Police Department, New Haven Police Department, and FBI investigated to identify the caller.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-hoax"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2023-01-17T00:56:00-05:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Police are responding to an incident in the area of Old Campus 344 College St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. If you are in Old Campus please shelter in place. All others please avoid the area while the police investigate.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/01/17/breaking-news-false-reports-of-armed-student-in-bingham-hall-triggers-old-campus-lockdown/",
      "sourceDescription": "Yale Daily News live coverage of January 17, 2023 swatting incident, quoting the Yale Alert text verbatim with full street address",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim from the Yale Daily News live breaking news report, which quoted the alert with the automated Rave address format: '344 College St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA'. Yale's Rave system appends the nearest matching address to each zone-based notification.",
        "Sent 40 minutes after the initial call was received at 12:16 a.m. EST on January 17, 2023, reflecting the time needed to establish a perimeter before alerting the broader community.",
        "By this point, Yale Police had dispatched officers and set up a perimeter around Old Campus and were actively searching Bingham Hall."
      ],
      "characterCount": 217
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2023-01-17T02:30:00-05:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Yale Alert: Police are investigating what they believe to be a false report from an individual threatening harm on Old Campus. Continue to shelter in place as police continue investigating out of an abundance of caution.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/01/18/more-details-emerge-about-old-campus-swatting-incident/",
      "sourceDescription": "Yale Daily News (quoting the 2:30 a.m. Yale Alert)",
      "annotations": [
        "Yale Daily News quoted this alert verbatim, noting it announced police were investigating 'what they believe to be a false report from an individual threatening harm on Old Campus' and directed students to continue sheltering in place 'out of an abundance of caution'",
        "Sent at 2:30 a.m. EST on January 17, 2023, while officers were reviewing card swipes and surveillance footage in and around Bingham Hall",
        "This is the message that signaled to the campus that the report was likely a swatting hoax even before the all-clear was issued"
      ],
      "characterCount": 220
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2023-01-17T03:07:00-05:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Yale Daily News reporting that the 'all clear' Yale Alert was sent at 3:07 a.m.",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "At 12:16 a.m. EST on January 17, 2023, the [Yale Police Department received a call](https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/01/17/breaking-news-false-reports-of-armed-student-in-bingham-hall-triggers-old-campus-lockdown/) from an unknown male claiming he had seriously harmed a female student, that she may be deceased, and that he possessed a knife and hunting rifle. The caller said he was near [Bingham Hall](https://facilities.yale.edu/service-schedule/bingham-hall-charles-bm) on Old Campus and threatened to shoot officers who tried to enter. At 12:34 a.m. EST, the caller told a YPD officer he was in a dorm room in Bingham. Police immediately dispatched to Old Campus and set up a perimeter. At approximately 2:45 a.m. EST, the caller escalated by saying he would begin shooting in eight minutes. However, [conflicting information from the caller](https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/01/18/more-details-emerge-about-old-campus-swatting-incident/) led police to determine they were dealing with a swatting incident. The caller also used racial slurs and claimed there was a bomb in a bathroom, further indicating the call was not credible. The YPD, New Haven Police Department, and FBI collaborated on the investigation to identify the caller. Swatting incidents at universities have increased significantly nationwide, with callers exploiting emergency alert systems to cause maximum disruption.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The 40-minute gap between the initial call at 12:16 a.m. EST on January 17, 2023 and the first Yale Alert at 12:56 a.m. EST reflects the challenge of assessing threat credibility before issuing a campus-wide notification",
    "The caller demonstrated knowledge of Bingham Hall's layout, which initially lent credibility to the threat before inconsistencies emerged",
    "The escalating nature of the calls, including threats to shoot in eight minutes, tested the police response framework even as officers increasingly suspected a hoax",
    "The incident occurred during the first week of the spring semester, when dormitories were at full occupancy"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "False reports of armed student in Bingham Hall triggers Old Campus lockdown - Yale Daily News",
      "url": "https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/01/17/breaking-news-false-reports-of-armed-student-in-bingham-hall-triggers-old-campus-lockdown/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "More details emerge about Old Campus swatting incident - Yale Daily News",
      "url": "https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2023/01/18/more-details-emerge-about-old-campus-swatting-incident/",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "False Report Made to Yale Police Department (January 17, 2023) - Yale College Dean's Office",
      "url": "https://yalecollege.yale.edu/get-know-yale-college/office-dean/messages-dean/false-report-made-yale-police-department-january-17",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Anonymous caller threatens safety of Yale students and SWAT's campus building - Fox 61",
      "url": "https://www.fox61.com/article/news/local/new-haven-county/new-haven/anonymous-caller-threatens-safety-yale-students-swats-campus/520-4307b470-f5b3-4c37-9f3c-5abe44f51a3a",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "swatting",
    "hoax",
    "shelter-in-place",
    "old-campus",
    "ivy-league",
    "false-report",
    "connecticut"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-02",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-06-01",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}