Campus Alert Archive
Colby

Coordinated Library Bomb Threats Hit Colby and Bowdoin on Same Day as Nationwide Wave Reaches Maine

MEbomb threatemergency notificationmedium 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, Colby College received an email claiming a bomb was placed in a library. Miller Library and Bixler Art and Music Center were evacuated and classes cancelled. Waterville Police completed a sweep and found no suspicious devices. Both buildings were cleared at 12:45 PM EDT. Bowdoin College received a similar threat the same day.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Colby College
Private Liberal Arts · ME
~2,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 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 ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimCentral Maine, quoting associate VP of campus safety's 8:42 AM email282 chars
It is important to understand that bomb threats directed at colleges and universities have been a regular occurrence in recent weeks and have not been credible threats. That said, we take the situation very seriously and appreciate your cooperation as authorities comb the premises.
The email was sent at 8:42 AM EDT on September 29, 2025, by Colby's associate VP of campus safety
The alert notably acknowledged the nationwide pattern of hoax bomb threats while still taking the situation seriously
Miller Library and Bixler Art and Music Center were evacuated
ALL CLEARmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction189 chars
ALL CLEAR: Miller Library and Bixler Art and Music Center have been cleared and are reopening for normal operations. Waterville Police completed their sweep and found no suspicious devices.

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

Both buildings were cleared at 12:45 PM EDT on September 29, 2025, approximately 4 hours after the initial alert
Bowdoin College in Brunswick received an 'extremely similar' threat targeting its library later the same afternoon
Context

Background

On September 29, 2025, Colby College received an emailed bomb threat claiming a bomb was placed in a campus library. Miller Library and Bixler Art and Music Center were evacuated, and classes in those buildings were cancelled. Colby's associate VP of campus safety sent an 8:42 AM email acknowledging the nationwide pattern while taking the threat seriously. Waterville Police completed a sweep and found no suspicious devices, with buildings cleared at 12:45 PM EDT. Later the same day, Bowdoin College received an extremely similar threat targeting its library, beginning evacuations shortly after 1:00 PM EDT and reopening libraries around 1:40 PM once the threat was deemed a hoax, suggesting a coordinated campaign against Maine's elite liberal arts colleges. WGME provided breaking coverage.
Analysis

Key Findings

The alert explicitly acknowledged the nationwide pattern of hoax bomb threats — a notable communication choice that provided context to reduce panic
Colby and Bowdoin received extremely similar library-targeted threats on the same day, suggesting coordinated targeting of Maine liberal arts colleges
Library-targeted bomb threats were a recurring pattern in the fall 2025 wave, with many universities receiving threats specifically directed at their libraries
Outcome
Waterville Police found no suspicious devices. Both buildings were cleared by 12:45 PM EDT. Bowdoin College received an extremely similar threat the same afternoon.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Bomb threat at Colby College cancels classes, closes buildings (Central Maine)
    centralmaine.com
  2. News
    Colby College bomb threat: two buildings evacuated (NEWS CENTER Maine)
    newscentermaine.com
  3. News
    Colby College evacuated after bomb threat (Bangor Daily News)
    bangordailynews.com
  4. News
    Bowdoin College buildings evacuated due to threat (Portland Press Herald)
    pressherald.com
Tags
bomb-threatlibraryliberal-arts-collegemainecoordinated-attackemailed-threatnationwide-waveHoax
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion