Campus Alert Archive
MassArt

A Halloween Photo Shoot With a Fake Gun Locked Down Two Boston Art-and-Tech Campuses

MAlockdownemergency 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 afternoon of October 26, 2022, a report of an armed person near 600 Huntington Avenue in Boston locked down both the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the neighboring Wentworth Institute of Technology. Both schools pushed Rave Alerts just after 2:00 p.m. telling people to stay where they were and lock doors. Boston Police later determined the "weapon" was a fake gun from a student's Halloween costume photo shoot and lifted the lockdowns.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Public Bachelors · MA
~2,000 studentsRaveMassArt Alert
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 ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction169 chars
MassArt Emergency: Please stay where you are, lock all doors, and wait for an ALL-CLEAR message. Boston Police are responding to a report of an armed person in the area.

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

Reconstructed, not verbatim: news outlets paraphrased the Rave Alert's instruction to 'please stay where you are, lock all doors and wait for an ALL-CLEAR message,' which this text mirrors closely.
Both MassArt and Wentworth sent near-identical Rave Alerts at roughly the same minute because the reported location, 600 Huntington Ave, sits between the two adjoining Fenway-area campuses.
ALL CLEARSMS
Verified verbatimLive Boston quoting the verbatim MassArt Alert all-clear text, October 26, 2022127 chars
MassArt Alert: ALL CLEAR Boston PD has cleared the area, the lockdown has been lifted. Further information to follow via email.
Verbatim from the MassArt Alert system as quoted by Live Boston; the alert text is: 'MassArt Alert: ALL CLEAR Boston PD has cleared the area, the lockdown has been lifted. Further information to follow via email.'
The 'Further information to follow via email' line matches MassArt's documented follow-up communication practice -- a PDF follow-up message was published on massart.edu.
The all-clear cites Boston PD's authority for the all-clear rather than MassArt's own assessment, consistent with police-led incident resolution.
Context

Background

Just after 1:15 p.m. on October 26, 2022, Boston Police were called to 600 Huntington Avenue for a report of an armed person, prompting lockdowns at MassArt and Wentworth Institute of Technology. The two campuses abut each other in Boston's Fenway/Longwood area, so a single report rippled across both. CBS Boston reported that both schools sent Rave Alerts just after 2:00 p.m. instructing people to stay put and lock doors. Boston 25 News quoted MassArt students who said the 'weapon' was a prop in a friend's Halloween costume photo shoot. After a floor-to-floor search, BPD deemed the area safe at about 3:20 p.m. The case is a textbook example of a seasonal false alarm: a costume prop near a Clery-covered campus produced a fully justified emergency-notification lockdown, then a clean all-clear once the object was identified.
Analysis

Key Findings

A single report near 600 Huntington Avenue locked down two adjacent Boston campuses simultaneously, showing how shared geography couples Clery responses
Both MassArt and Wentworth issued near-simultaneous Rave Alerts just after 2:00 p.m. on October 26, 2022
Boston Police cleared the scene around 3:20 p.m. after determining the reported gun was a fake prop from a Halloween photo shoot
The incident is a seasonal false-alarm pattern: costume props near campuses can trigger justified lockdowns that resolve as unfounded
Outcome
Boston Police conducted a floor-to-floor search and confirmed the suspected weapon was not real. The area was deemed safe at approximately 3:20 p.m. and officers cleared both campuses; no one was charged and no injuries occurred.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Fake gun in Halloween photoshoot prompts lockdowns at MassArt, Wentworth - Boston.com
    boston.com
  2. News
    Student in Halloween costume causes lockdown on MassArt campus - CBS Boston
    cbsnews.com
  3. News
    Mass Art students say Halloween costume, prop gun led to lockdown on two college campuses - Boston 25 News
    boston25news.com
  4. News
    MassArt, Wentworth Institute Lockdowns Lifted After False Report of Person With Gun - NBC Boston
    nbcboston.com
Tags
lockdownfalse-alarmmassachusettsbostonart-schoolhalloweenfake-gunemergency-notificationUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion