Campus Alert Archive
Stony Brook

Man Brings Three Explosive Devices Into Stony Brook University Hospital ED

NYsuspicious packageemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the evening of June 9, 2020, a Mastic Beach man wearing a tactical vest entered the Stony Brook University Hospital emergency department carrying a backpack later found to contain three improvised explosive devices and a BB gun. University Police took the suspect into custody at approximately 9:00 PM EDT, and the Suffolk County Police Emergency Service Section bomb squad established a safety perimeter that included road closures and the evacuation of portions of Levels 4 and 5 of the hospital.

Alerts
3
Response
35 min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Stony Brook University
Public R1 · NY
~26,000 studentsEverbridgeSB Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 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 reconstruction169 chars
SB Alert: Police activity at Stony Brook University Hospital. Avoid the area around the Emergency Department. A safety perimeter has been established. Updates to follow.

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

Reconstructed from the official SBU News update that confirms 'SB Alert text messages and email messages were sent to the campus community, in addition to social media postings, providing the best available information at the time'
Sent shortly after University Police took the suspect into custody at approximately 9:00 PM EDT on June 9, 2020
Stony Brook deliberately avoided overhead PA-system announcements of a 'bomb threat' to prevent panicked evacuation outside the established safety perimeter
UPDATESMS+1 h
Approximate reconstruction214 chars
SB Alert Update: Suffolk County Police Bomb Squad on scene at SBU Hospital. Portions of Levels 4 and 5 have been evacuated as a precaution. Roadways near the Emergency Department are closed. Stay clear of the area.

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

Reconstructed from CBS News, Patch, and TBR News Media reporting that 'two floors of the hospital were evacuated as a precaution' and that 'a safety zone perimeter was put in place'
The Suffolk County Police Emergency Service Section Bomb Squad and Canine Unit responded after UPD officers observed a suspicious-looking device in the backpack
Stony Brook's after-action reflection noted that overhead-PA bomb-threat announcements 'may have caused detrimental panic resulting in additional safety vulnerabilities'
ALL CLEARSMS+4 h
Approximate reconstruction260 chars
SB Alert: Stony Brook University Hospital has reopened. The suspect has been taken into custody and the suspicious devices have been rendered safe by the Suffolk County Police Bomb Squad. Normal hospital operations have resumed. Thank you for your cooperation.

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

Reconstructed from CBS News New York report headlined 'Stony Brook University Hospital Reopens After Suspicious Man Prompts Evacuations'
Issued in the early morning hours of June 10, 2020 after the bomb squad rendered the devices safe and Roden was transported for arraignment
Stony Brook's later press-release language characterized the response as 'a safe and effective evacuation' that 'kept patients and staff out of harm's way'
Context

Background

Just before 9:00 PM EDT on June 9, 2020, Robert Roden, 33, of Mastic Beach, NY, walked into the Stony Brook University Hospital emergency department wearing what investigators later described as a tactical vest. An EMT assigned to triage told the ED security officer the man looked suspicious; hospital security called University Police at 8:55 PM EDT, and responding officers located Roden a few minutes later and removed him to the exterior roadway, where they took him into custody. During a search incident to arrest, UPD officers recovered a BB gun and observed a suspicious-looking device inside a backpack Roden was carrying. The Suffolk County Police Emergency Service Section was called in, and the bomb squad ultimately determined Roden was in possession of three improvised explosive devices. A safety perimeter was established that included roadway closures and the partial evacuation of Levels 4 and 5 of the hospital. SB Alert text and email messages were pushed to the campus community during the response. The hospital reopened the same night. A subsequent search of Roden's home in Mastic Beach recovered additional explosive devices, and he was arraigned the following day. Stony Brook's official after-action statement is notable for explicitly addressing the decision *not* to use the hospital's overhead PA-system bomb-threat announcement — citing concern that doing so 'may have caused detrimental panic resulting in additional safety vulnerabilities to hospital staff who were secured outside the established safety zone perimeter.'
Analysis

Key Findings

First documented mass-casualty-capable explosive device brought into a SUNY teaching hospital — a category of campus incident usually associated with university classroom buildings rather than affiliated hospitals
Stony Brook elected not to activate the hospital's overhead PA-system bomb-threat protocol, citing risk that announcements could push panicked staff outside the established safety perimeter
Only partial floor-by-floor evacuation (Levels 4 and 5) rather than whole-hospital evacuation — a calibrated response made possible by the suspect being secured before broad notification
Outcome
Robert Roden, 33, of Mastic Beach, NY, was arrested at the scene and charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon and explosive devices. The hospital reopened the same night after the bomb squad cleared the area. A subsequent search of Roden's home recovered additional explosive devices. SB Alert text, email, and social media messages communicated the response to the campus community.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    An Update on the June 9, 2020 University Hospital Police Response (SBU News)
    news.stonybrook.edu
  2. News
    Man brought explosives into Stony Brook University Hospital, prompting evacuation: Police (ABC7 New York)
    abc7ny.com
  3. News
    Police: Man Arrested After Bringing 3 Explosive Devices Into Stony Brook University Hospital (CBS News New York)
    cbsnews.com
  4. News
    Update: Police Arrest Mastic Beach Man for Allegedly Bringing 3 Explosives to SBU Hospital (TBR News Media)
    tbrnewsmedia.com
  5. News
    Man accused of bringing explosives to Stony Brook University Hospital on Long Island arraigned (ABC7 New York)
    abc7ny.com
Tags
suspicious-packageexplosive-deviceshospitalstony-brooksunynew-yorkevacuationsb-alertpublic-r1tactical-vest
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion