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Tag:
Swatting
Drexel Hill-Upper Darby, PA
Schools
Two Villanova Hoaxes Tied To National Swatting Spree; FBI Charges Suspect (
Update
)
A swatting group calling itself Purgatory is believed to be behind more than 10 hoax active shooter reports that triggered lockdowns at universities nationwide — and now, federal prosecutors have filed charges against a suspect tied to the spree, officials announced Thursday, April 30. Villanova At The Center The wave of hoaxes began on Aug. 21 at Villanova University, where families and new students attending orientation Mass were sent scrambling after an alert warned of an “ACTIVE SHOOTER” on campus. Students and parents barricaded doors and hid as heavily armed officers flooded the Main L…
Paramus, NJ
Police & Fire
Swatting Call Triggers Lockdowns At Paramus Schools, Mayor Says
A swatting call sent police rushing to two Paramus schools on Friday, Nov. 14, officials said. The Paramus Police Department responded to East Brook Middle School and Paramus High School after receiving a false emergency report at the high school. The incident was reported in the afternoon, according to Mayor Chris DiPiazza. The mayor said detectives are actively working to identify the source. Police units — including ESU, patrol officers, and the department’s drone team — responded to lockdown procedures at both buildings, according to the mayor. The incidents have been confirm…
Paterson, NJ
News
911 Call Was TikTok Live Dare, Paterson Man Admits: Cops
A 20-year-old man from Paterson, NJ, has been charged after Pennsylvania State Police say he made a fake 911 call in Monroe County that turned out to be a “swatting” incident. On Sunday, Sept. 7, at 9:41 p.m., troopers from the Stroudsburg barracks responded to a hang-up 911 call from Lees Run Circle in Price Township. A male caller claimed someone was dead and yelling could be heard in the background, police said. When officers arrived, they found no threat. All residents were safe and accounted for, authorities said. The next day, Sept. 8, investigators traced the call to a T-Mobile numb…
Rockville, MD
Schools
Swatting Call Triggers Lockdown At Rockville High School: Police
A swatting call was to blame for a temporary high school lockdown in the area on Wednesday afternoon. Reports of a person carrying a firearm near Rockville High School proved to be unfounded on Wednesday, following a multi-agency investigation, though not before the building was locked down as a precaution. Officers from the Montgomery County and Rockville police departments, along with US Park Police, were called to the high school before 2 p.m. on Sept. 3 to investigate the call. @MCPS has placed Rockville High School on lockdown following the report of a person with a firearm near th…
Princeton, NJ
Police & Fire
Swatting Hoax Hits Princeton Library: Police
Princeton Public Library was the victim of a swatting hoax on Thursday, Aug. 28, authorities said. Officers responded to the library at 65 Witherspoon St. for a report of a person with a gun, Princeton police said. Officers searched the area, did not locate anyone and confirmed the report was not credible and a hoax, police said. "These incidents are disruptive, create unnecessary fear, and divert critical public safety resources away from genuine emergencies," Princeton police said.
Nyack-Valley Cottage, NY
Police & Fire
Swatting Hoax Prompts Heavy Police Response In Valley Cottage Neighborhood
A false report of gunfire brought police to a Rockland County neighborhood on Monday, Aug. 25, but investigators later confirmed the call was a swatting hoax, authorities announced. Officers rushed to Tamar Drive in Valley Cottage earlier on Monday after receiving a report of shots fired, the Clarkstown Police Department said at noon. After investigating, police determined there was no threat to the public and that the call was a deliberate hoax. The case has now been turned over to the Detective Bureau, which will work to track down whoever placed the call. "Officers will thoroughly in…
Drexel Hill-Upper Darby, PA
Schools
Second Hoax At Villanova University Sparks Police Response Ahead Of Classes
Villanova University faced a second false emergency report involving a weapon on campus Sunday, Aug. 24, one day before classes were scheduled to begin, Radnor Township Police confirmed. Officers were called to Austin Hall after a report of a possible threat, but police later confirmed the call was unfounded. Law enforcement searched the building, cleared the scene, and worked to restore normal operations. The investigation into the hoax is ongoing. The incident comes just three days after a fake active shooter report at Villanova’s law school sent the campus into chaos during orientation a…
Fredericksburg, VA
News
Virginia ‘Reaper’ Who Made Teen Girl Carve His Name Into Her Leg Learns Prison Fate
A 26-year-old Virginia man who was the leader in an online group that cyber stalked and terrorized young girls online will spend years in federal prison, authorities announced. Evan Strauss, of Moneta, who goes by the monikers "Reaper" and Kobe Deonsons" was sentenced on Thursday, Aug. 1 to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to stalking and child pornography offenses last year. The charges stem from a toxic relationship he formed online with a 17-year-old girl from Wyoming, whom he harassed and controlled for months. The minor—identified in court documents only as Minor A—was t…
Saddle Brook-Elmwood Park, NJ
Police & Fire
Update
: Swatting Call Claimed Murder, Hostage In Saddle Brook, All False, Chief Says
New details have been released in what police say was a swatting call that rocked a Saddle Brook family Thursday night, July 10. Officers were called to 222 Market St., around 11:04 p.m., after an unknown male claimed he had shot his mother and was holding his brother hostage, Saddle Brook Police Chief John A. Zotollo Jr. said. The caller also claimed he was armed with a rifle and would shoot any responding officers, the chief said. Saddle Brook officers and surrounding agencies quickly responded. But within 15 minutes, police made contact with the actual residents, who were unharmed and u…
East Brunswick, NJ
Police & Fire
East Brunswick Elementary School Victim Of Swatting Hoax: Police
An elementary school in East Brunswick was the victim of a “swatting” incident on Monday, June 9, authorities said. At 1:16 p.m., officers received a call from an unknown individual threatening an active shooter incident at Central Elementary School at 371 Cranbury Rd, East Brunswick police said. Officers responded to the school and met with school security officials and an on-scene investigation determined there was no active shooter threat and it was a “swatting” hoax, police said. The incident remains under investigation, police said.
Arlington, VA
News
Global Swatting Ringleader Who Targeted Congress, Churches, Media Pleads Guilty: DOJ
A Romanian man who led a global swatting ring that targeted members of Congress, churches, and even a former US president has pleaded guilty, federal officials announced. Thomasz Szabo, 26, known online as “Plank,” “Jonah,” and “Cypher,” entered his guilty plea in federal court this week, according to the US Department of Justice. Szabo was extradited from Romania in November 2024 and admitted to running a years-long online conspiracy that involved making fake bomb and mass-shooting threats across the United States, investigators said. He and his crew targeted more than 75 public officials…
Boiling Springs-Mount Holly Springs, PA
News
Swatting Campaign, Child Porn Threats Against Big Spring Teen Earn CA Man Prison Term
A California man has been sentenced to over six years in federal prison for a sick campaign of swatting and child exploitation targeting a Cumberland County teen, authorities announced on Thursday, May 29. Nathaniel Sean DeLeon, 20, of Tulare, California, was sentenced to 78 months in prison on Tuesday, May 20, for distributing child pornography and making a hoax bomb threat, according to Acting U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus. DeLeon met the 16-year-old victim through the Roblox gaming platform in 2023 and began an online relationship. After the relationship ended, DeLeon began retaliating …
Pawling, NY
Schools
Swatting Threat Triggers Emergency Response At Trinity-Pawling School
A false phone threat forced a lockdown at a Dutchess County boarding school, prompting a rapid response from police and school officials. The incident happened around 1:25 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, when the Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling received a threatening phone call shortly after being notified of a similar threat by the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office, Head of School William Taylor said. Within minutes, the campus was placed under protective protocols, and all students, staff, faculty, and family members were secured safely, according to Taylor. Law enforcement from both th…
Hagerstown, MD
News
Hagerstown Teen Admits To Making Bomb, Shooting Hoax Calls Across US: DOJ
A 19-year-old from Maryland who helped run an online “Purgatory” group behind a wave of terrifying swatting calls—targeting schools, airports, casinos, and homes—has pleaded guilty in federal court, authorities announced. Owen Jarboe, of Hagerstown, admitted to conspiracy, cyberstalking, and making interstate threats involving fire and explosives between December 2023 and Jan. 18, 2024, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said that Jarboe and his co-conspirators used Telegram, Instagram, and shared spoofing scripts to mask their identities while triggering police responses to…
Paramus, NJ
Police & Fire
Swatting Hoax Sends Cops Racing To Empty Paramus Home, Here's Who They Say Was Behind It
A 39-year-old man has been charged after authorities say he made a hoax call to police, falsely reporting a burglary in progress in Paramus and prompting a major emergency response. Joseph D. Monticello, 39, of East Hanover, was arrested after investigators determined he deliberately fabricated the report, Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti said. The incident unfolded on Friday, March 7, at approximately 11:40 a.m., when Paramus Police Communications received an anonymous 911 call claiming that three to four masked men were loading items into a white van outside a home. The caller abruptl…
East Fishkill, NY
Police & Fire
Swatting Incident: Man's Prank Shooting Report Prompts Response In East Fishkill, Cops Say
A 41-year-old man is facing felony charges after allegedly reporting a fake shooting as a prank that led to a heavy police response in Dutchess County, authorities said. Fishkill resident Kieran T. Maddock was arrested on Tuesday, March 18, after investigators determined he was responsible for a “swatting” incident earlier that morning in East Fishkill, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday, March 20. The chaos began just after 6 a.m., when the Sheriff’s Office and Town of East Fishkill Police rushed to a home in East Fishkill following a 911 report of multi…
Somers, NY
Police & Fire
Swatting Sting: Man Admits To Fake 911 Call About ‘Cracked Skull’ In Amawalk, Police Say
A Putnam County man has been apprehended for a swatting incident that led to a large emergency response in Westchester, with investigators linking him to multiple similar hoaxes, police said. Mahopac resident Mikel Kolaj, 31, was arrested and charged with three counts of falsely reporting a crime after allegedly placing a false 911 call about a violent assault in progress at an Amawalk residence, New York State Police announced on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The hoax call came in on Thursday, Feb. 20, at around 11:15 a.m., when an unknown female caller reported "My neighbor is assaulting his wi…
Mineola, NY
News
Bomb Hoaxer Admits Targeting Jewish Hospitals On LI, Live-Streaming On Social Media
An Oregon man formally confessed to making a series of bomb threats against Jewish hospitals in New York, some of which were live-streamed on social media. Domagoj Patkovic, age 31, of Portland, Oregon, pleaded guilty to conspiring to make bomb threats related offenses in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Patkovic and others called in bomb threats to Jewish hospitals and care centers in New York City and on Long Island beginning in May 2021, according to prosecutors. During the calls, they allegedly made violent threats and threatened to detonate explosive devices. Patkovic hi…
Fort Lee, NJ
Police & Fire
Swatting Threat Prompts Lockdown At Fort Lee Middle School, Police Say
A swatting incident forced a lockdown of a Fort Lee middle school on Wednesday morning, Feb. 19, after faculty received alarming voicemails about a potential attack at the hands of a student, authorities said. The Fort Lee Police Communications Center was alerted at 8:07 a.m. after Lewis F. Cole Middle School staff reported two concerning messages suggesting a student was planning to attend school and cause harm, police said. Officers responded immediately, and out of an abundance of caution, the school was placed under a shelter-in-place order, authorities said. The Bergen County Sheriff's…
Hackensack, NJ
Police & Fire
Maywood Man Arrested In Florida Swattings, Sheriff Says
A 22-year-old Bergen County man was arrested last month after making swatting calls to police in Florida, authorities said. Maywood PD In August 2024, officers in south Florida responded to reports of shootings at two different residences, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said. One call said a person was shot in the chest and being held hostage, while another call said the caller, later identified as Justin Flavien, shot his sister, authorities said. Once on scene of both incidents, deputies determined the reports were unfounded and no one was injured, police said. Despite Flavien's effo…
Westport, CT
Police & Fire
Students Shelter In Place During 'Swatting' Incident At Westport School, Police Say
Police in Connecticut rushed to an elementary school and students were ordered to stay in place after they learned of a threatening message sent through a Veterans Suicide Hotline on Friday, Dec. 13. Police rushed to Greens Farms Elementary School in Westport just before 1:15 p.m. after learning of the threat. It was soon suspected to be a case of "swatting," a tactic where false reports are made to prompt large-scale emergency responses. Several other schools across the state received the same text, Westport Police said. Officials did not disclose what the threat said.…
Amityville, NY
Politics
Bomb Threats, Swatting Incidents Target Trump Cabinet Picks, Appointees, Spokesperson Says
Several of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet selections and administrative appointees were the targets threats the last two days, a spokesperson said, calling the acts "violent" and "un-American." According to a statement by the Trump-Vance Transition Team on Wednesday, Nov. 27, several individuals associated with the incoming administration were subjected to threats ranging from bomb scares to "swatting" incidents, in which false reports are made to dispatch emergency responders to someone's location. Law enforcement responded swiftly to ensure the safety of those targeted, the team s…
North Bergen-Guttenberg, NJ
Police & Fire
'Welcome To Florida!' Sheriff Mocks Guttenberg Swatting Caller Sentenced To Prison
A New Jersey man who made swatting calls to a Florida high school got more than his 15 minutes of fame: Two years behind bars. Brad Parga, of Guttenberg, who was 17 years old when he called in threats from the Garden State to Milton High School in Santa Rosa County on Feb. 14, 2022, said his reason for doing so was "to get on the news." On Nov. 14, 2024, Parga was sentenced to two years in the Florida Department of Corrections followed by three years of probation — and Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson didn’t miss the opportunity to give the cheeky update. "You know I'm about gran…
Danbury, CT
News
Police Respond To Threat At Danbury Fair Mall
Police responded to a threat involving a popular mall in Connecticut. It happened late Sunday afternoon, Oct. 6 in Fairfield County at the Danbury Fair Mall. Danbury Police say officers responded to a report of a possible incident at the mall at around 4:30 p.m. The officers quickly determined that the threat was not credible and there was no danger to the public, according to police. "This incident remains under investigation as a swatting call," according to Danbury Police. The mall reopened for business as usual.
New Britain, CT
Schools
Vance Elementary School Off Lockdown Following Threatening Phone Call About Armed Intruder
Officials in Connecticut said there is no threat following a "swatting" call on Monday, Sept. 23, that claimed an armed intruder was inside an elementary school. It's part of a growing trend of hoax calls promising violence at schools. Hartford County's Vance Elementary School in New Britain was forced to go into lockdown on Monday after a call was placed to the main office around 11 a.m., said Tony Gasper, superintendent of the Consolidated School District of New Britain in a message to parents, per NBC Connecticut. Related: Dozens Of Connecticut Schools Have Received Th…
Avalon-Stone Harbor, NJ
Police & Fire
Police Investigating Two Swatting Incidents Over Weekend In Avalon
Police in Cape May County were investigating two swatting incidents in Avalon, authorities said. County dispatchers received a 911 call from someone who claimed a murder was committed at a home on the 7700 block of Dune Drive in Avalon at around 4:22 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18, the borough's government said in a Facebook post. The caller also said law enforcement may be killed if they go to the home. Avalon police and the county SWAT team responded to the home and the call turned out to be an instance of "swatting," which is when police are called to the scene of a false crime report. "R…
Leesburg, VA
News
Teen Charged With False Reporting Following Swatting Incident In Leesburg: Police
An 18-year-old has been identified and charged as the person responsible for a reported swatting incident at a Loudoun County Safeway earlier this summer, police say. Leesburg resident Caleb Wolfe, has been charged with false emergency communication to emergency personnel - a misdemeanor - stemming from a false report of an armed robbery in July. At around 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, police say that the Leesburg Police Department Emergency Communications Center received a report of a robbery at the grocery store on South King Street involving two people armed with knives who armed a m…
Ashburn, VA
News
Threat Targeting Virginia Private School Was Likely Swatting Call, Sheriff Says
The threat targeting a private school in Virginia may have been a swatting incident, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. First responders were called to The Hill School of Middleburg on South Madison Street at approximately 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8, where there was a reported threat made against the school. ALERT: There is a heavy law enforcement presence in the vicinity of 100-Block S Madison St (Middleburg). South Madison St south of W Federal St (Middleburg) is closed. Law enforcement is responding to an ongoing incident. Please Avoid the area until further notice. …
Lower Paxton, PA
News
Swatting
: Wendy's On Front St. Latest Victim, Susquehanna Twp Police Say
A fake bomb threat led to a swatting incident at a Wendy's in Central Pennsylvania on Thursday afternoon, the police announced later that evening. The Susquehanna Township police were called to the alleged threat at the Wendy's restaurant located at 3925 North Front Street at 1 p.m. on July 11, as detailed in the release. The police released the following statement about what happened next: "With the assistance of the Dauphin County Sheriff’s K9 team, the building was searched and deemed safe to return to normal business. At this time, the incident appears to be connected to o…
Edison, NJ
News
'Swatting' Incident Brings Central Jersey Police To Fake Emergency
Monroe Township police responded to an apparent “swatting” incident on Wednesday, July 3, authorities said. The Monroe Township Police Communications Center was contacted by a representative from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline who reported a suicidal subject in the Reserve neighborhood in Monroe Township, police said. The subject reported to the hotline that he had shot his mother in the leg, poured gasoline all over her, and was looking for a lighter in order to set her on fire, police said. The subject was threatening to harm additional family members, as wel…
New Haven, CT
Police & Fire
Extra Officers At CT High School After Swatting Threat To Student
Connecticut State Police have an added presence at a high school after a student received a threat. The incident occurred in New Haven County in Oxford at Oxford High School on Wednesday, May 22. According to State Police, troopers responded to the school as a result of a threat made against a student. After an investigation, it was determined that this was a swatting incident. State police said there's no immediate threat to the school. As a precaution, Oxford police units and troopers will maintain a presence throughout the day. Police did not reveal what type of threat the…
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