Campus Alert Archive
Bowdoin

A Hoax Library Threat Forced Evacuations at Two of Maine's Top Liberal Arts Colleges on the Same Day

MEbomb threatemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On September 29, 2025, Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine evacuated several buildings — including its library — after receiving an anonymous threat. The same day, Colby College in Waterville received a strikingly similar email bomb threat to its library, prompting cancellations and evacuations there as well. Brunswick Police investigated and ultimately determined the Bowdoin threat to be a hoax.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Bowdoin College
Private Liberal Arts · ME
~1,900 studentsBowdoin Emergency Notification
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction305 chars
Bowdoin Emergency Notification: The college has received an anonymous threat referencing the library. As a precaution, please immediately evacuate Hawthorne-Longfellow Library and avoid the surrounding area. Bowdoin Safety and Security and Brunswick Police are investigating. More information will follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Hawthorne-Longfellow Library complex is the centerpiece of Bowdoin's academic infrastructure — its evacuation effectively shut down most academic activity
Bowdoin's small student body (~1,900) means alert recipients overlap heavily with the affected building's typical occupants
Naming Brunswick Police as a co-investigating agency is standard for Bowdoin alerts since the campus does not have a sworn police force
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction347 chars
Bowdoin Emergency Notification Update: Following a thorough search by Brunswick Police, Hawthorne-Longfellow Library and surrounding evacuated areas have been cleared. The threat was determined to be unfounded. Buildings are reopening. Counseling resources are available through the Counseling Service. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The all-clear came mid-afternoon — several hours after the initial alert — reflecting the time required to physically search a multi-building academic library
Inclusion of Counseling Service availability is a marker of trauma-aware emergency communication that smaller liberal arts colleges have adopted
The matching Colby College threat on the same day was not directly mentioned in Bowdoin's alert, but later coverage confirmed the parallel
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Verified verbatimThe Bowdoin Orient quoted this verbatim from a written statement by Bowdoin Director of Communications Doug Cook231 chars
Bowdoin Safety and Security Officers were quick to clear the buildings and assess the situation. They soon learned that the threat was a hoax and reopened the buildings. Brunswick Police are investigating the source of the message.
Verbatim quote from Doug Cook, Bowdoin's Director of Communications, in a written statement to The Bowdoin Orient
The brevity of the official statement is striking — three sentences total — reflecting Bowdoin's institutional reticence in public communications
Naming Brunswick Police as the investigating agency is significant — Bowdoin does not have a sworn police force and relies on municipal investigators for criminal threats
Context

Background

Bowdoin College, founded in 1794 in Brunswick, Maine, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the US, with about 1,900 students. The Hawthorne-Longfellow Library is the heart of campus academic life. On September 29, 2025, Bowdoin received an anonymous threat against its library, prompting evacuation of multiple buildings while Brunswick Police searched for any device. The same morning, Colby College in Waterville — about 75 miles north — received a strikingly similar email threat to its own library, prompting cancellations and evacuations there as well. By mid-afternoon, both colleges had cleared their buildings and confirmed no devices were found. The parallel timing strongly suggested a coordinated targeting of Maine liberal arts campuses, fitting a broader 2025 pattern of email bomb threats sent to libraries, religious institutions, and HBCUs nationwide. For Bowdoin — which uses Bowdoin Safety and Security rather than a sworn police force — the response showcased how small Maine campuses lean on local municipal police for major-incident response.
Analysis

Key Findings

Two top Maine liberal arts colleges (Bowdoin and Colby) received matching library bomb threats on the same day — September 29, 2025 — strongly suggesting a coordinated harassment campaign
Bowdoin's evacuation centered on Hawthorne-Longfellow Library, the academic hub of campus
Both colleges relied on municipal police (Brunswick PD for Bowdoin, Waterville PD for Colby) since neither has a sworn campus police force
The threats fit the broader 2025 pattern of emailed bomb threats targeting libraries, religious institutions, and HBCUs
Both colleges issued all-clear notifications by mid-afternoon, demonstrating relatively fast resolution for full library complex sweeps
Outcome
No device was found at Bowdoin and no injuries occurred. Evacuated buildings were searched and reopened by mid-afternoon. Brunswick Police investigated the incident as a hoax. The matching threat at Colby College the same day fueled investigators' conclusion that the messages were part of a coordinated harassment campaign.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Bowdoin College buildings evacuated due to threat - Portland Press Herald
    pressherald.com
  2. News
    Bowdoin College Locked Down Buildings Monday After Hoax Threat Similar to One Made Against Colby - The Maine Wire
    themainewire.com
  3. News
    Bomb threat at Colby College cancels classes, closes buildings - Central Maine
    centralmaine.com
  4. News
    Colby College deemed safe after bomb threat prompts evacuation - WGME
    wgme.com
  5. Official
    Emergency Notification System | Bowdoin College
    bowdoin.edu
  6. Official
    Timely Warnings and Security Alerts | Bowdoin College
    bowdoin.edu
Tags
bomb-threatprivate-liberal-artsbowdoin-collegemainebrunswicklibrary-threathoaxcoordinated-threatcolby-parallelsmall-collegeHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion