Campus Alert Archive
BHCC

A Note on a Windshield in Charlestown Stopped the Orange Line

MAbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On the evening of July 25, 2017, a threatening note found on a car windshield in a Bunker Hill Community College parking lot — reportedly reading "Don't start your car if you want to live" — drew the Massachusetts State Police bomb squad to the Charlestown campus around 6 p.m. The response shut down MBTA Orange Line service in both directions between North Station and Sullivan Square. Investigators searched the vehicle and a second car but did not find the threat to be credible.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Bunker Hill Community College
Community College · MA
~13,000 studentsBHCC Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

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 reconstruction183 chars
BHCC ALERT: Police activity on the Charlestown Campus. Avoid the parking lots near Perimeter Road and follow directions from State Police. Stay clear of the area until further notice.

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

Reconstructed, not verbatim: the incident, its ~6 p.m. timing, and the Perimeter Road/Lot 4 location are confirmed by Universal Hub and Patch, but the exact BHCC Alert wording is not publicly archived.
The threat targeted a specific vehicle rather than the campus broadly, which is why the response centered on a bomb-squad search of two cars rather than a full building evacuation.
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction205 chars
BHCC ALERT: All clear. State Police searched the vehicles and found no threat. The incident has been resolved and Orange Line service is being restored. Normal access to the Charlestown Campus has resumed.

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

Reconstructed all-clear; WHDH and Patch confirm investigators deemed the threat not credible and that suspended Orange Line service resumed.
This is a genuine all-clear: it lifts the area restrictions and notes service restoration, rather than merely updating the search status.
Context

Background

On July 25, 2017, around 6 p.m., a threatening note found on a car windshield at Bunker Hill Community College in Charlestown — reported to read "Don't start your car if you want to live" — brought the Massachusetts State Police bomb squad to the campus. Because BHCC's Charlestown campus sits beside the MBTA Orange Line, the response halted train service in both directions between North Station and Sullivan Square, with shuttle buses substituting until the all-clear. CBS Boston reported the bomb squad searched the targeted vehicle and a second car before determining there was no device. The episode is a strong community-college and transit-coupling case: a vehicle-specific threat note at an urban two-year college rippled outward into a regional transit shutdown, and the campus alert system had to coordinate with both State Police and the MBTA before issuing an all-clear.
Analysis

Key Findings

A threatening note on a car windshield at BHCC's Charlestown campus drew the State Police bomb squad around 6 p.m. on July 25, 2017
The response shut down MBTA Orange Line service in both directions between North Station and Sullivan Square, with shuttle buses substituting
The bomb squad searched the targeted car near Perimeter Road and a second vehicle, finding no device
Investigators deemed the threat not credible and Orange Line service was restored, making the incident an unfounded threat
Outcome
The bomb squad searched the targeted car near Perimeter Road in Lot 4 and a second vehicle in Lot 2; no device was found and the threat was deemed not credible. Orange Line service, which had been replaced by shuttles, was restored.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Bomb threat at Bunker Hill Community College shuts Orange Line - Universal Hub
    universalhub.com
  2. News
    Threatening note prompts bomb squad response at Bunker Hill Community College - WHDH 7News
    whdh.com
  3. News
    Bunker Hill CC Police Activity, Orange Line Service Resumes - Charlestown Patch
    patch.com
  4. News
    Bomb Squad Responds To Search Car At Bunker Hill Community College - CBS Boston
    boston.cbslocal.com
Tags
bomb-threatmassachusettscharlestowncommunity-collegetransitorange-lineemergency-notificationUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion