Reported active shooter at Villanova a 'cruel hoax,' according to university's president

Report of Villanova active shooter was a hoax

Villanova's president says reports of an active shooter, which frightened students and brought swarms of law enforcement, was actually a "cruel" hoax.

VILLANOVA - An active shooter was reported at Villanova University on Thursday afternoon in what is now being called a "cruel hoax" by several sources. 

What we know:

In a statement, the university said that it received an anonymous report of an active shooter in the Charles Widger School of Law at approximately 4:30 p.m. E.T. 

"Police and Public Safety responded immediately, and a thorough search confirmed the report was a hoax—there was no firearm on campus and no injuries," the statement reads. 

"We know this false report caused fear and disruption as we begin our academic year," the statement goes on. "We are deeply grateful to our Public Safety team, Radnor Police, local law enforcement, and our staff and student leaders for responding swiftly and compassionately. We are grateful that our community is safe." 

"As we were celebrating Orientation Mass to welcome our newest Villanovans and their families to our community, panic ensued with the news of a possible shooter at the law school," Rev. Peter M. Donohue, Villanova's president, said in a statement. 

"Mercifully, no one was injured," he added. 

New student orientation and registration started on Thursday and is scheduled to run through Saturday. Villanova's academic year is set to start in just five days. 

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Shapiro called the reports of a shooter "unfounded and the product of a cruel swatting incident – when someone calls in a fake threat to induce panic," in a post on X. 

"Swatting is illegal," the governor said. "I've directed @PAStatePolice to work alongside their partners and use every tool at our disposal to find the person or people who called in this fake threat and hold them accountable." 

"I know today was every parent's nightmare, and every student's biggest fear," the post went on. "I'm profoundly grateful no one was hurt, and thankful to all members of law enforcement who ran towards reports of danger to keep Pennsylvanians safe." 

The Delaware County Communications and Public Affairs department said in a statement that "while the call—and additional calls related to the incident—may have been attempts to trigger a large-scale police response in a so-called ‘swatting’ attempt, it is important to note that this is an ongoing investigation." 

"Law enforcement and EMS personnel operated swiftly and without regard to personal risk, without foreknowledge that there was not an active shooter," the statement goes on. "Valuable resources and effort were expended in doing so. In the event that this was an organized, intentional and unlawful attempt to expend law enforcement resources, County officials are hopeful that the person or persons behind the incident will be identified, apprehended and brought to justice as soon as possible." 

The backstory:

Pennsylvania State Police, Radnor Township Police and federal law enforcement all responded to the scene.

The university asked the public to avoid the law school and move to a secure location and barricade doors when it believed the threat to be real. 

Video posted to social media showed frantic students running. 

Villanova University is a private Catholic university located in the Philadelphia suburbs. The school received extra attention this year for being the alma mater of new Pope Leo XIV.  

Dig deeper:

A similar situation occurred at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Thursday. Students were evacuated as law enforcement swept campus in response to a call reporting a shooter, which also turned out to be a hoax. 

"We can never assume that something is fake," Chattanooga Police Chief John Chambers said in a statement provided to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "Our job is to preserve life. That is our No. 1 goal and our focus, and that is all we're focused on."

That investigation is ongoing, as well.