Campus Alert Archive
Yale

Midnight Swatting Call Locks Down Yale's Old Campus as Caller Claims Hunting Rifle and Dead Student

CTswattingemergency 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.

An anonymous caller contacted the Yale Police Department at 12:16 a.m. claiming to have seriously harmed a female student and to possess a knife and hunting rifle inside Bingham Hall. The nearly three-hour swatting incident forced a shelter-in-place for all of Old Campus before police determined the call was a hoax.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Yale University
Private R1 · CT
~14,776 studentsYale ALERT
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 2 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
Verified verbatimYale Daily News live coverage of January 17, 2023 swatting incident, quoting the Yale Alert text verbatim with full street address217 chars
Police are responding to an incident in the area of Old Campus 344 College St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. If you are in Old Campus please shelter in place. All others please avoid the area while the police investigate.
Verbatim from the Yale Daily News live breaking news report, which quoted the alert with the automated Rave address format: '344 College St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA' — Yale's Rave system appends the nearest matching address to each zone-based notification.
Sent 40 minutes after the initial call was received at 12:16 a.m. EST on January 17, 2023, reflecting the time needed to establish a perimeter before alerting the broader community.
By this point, Yale Police had dispatched officers and set up a perimeter around Old Campus and were actively searching Bingham Hall.
UPDATESMS+1h 34m
Verified verbatimYale Daily News (quoting the 2:30 a.m. Yale Alert)220 chars
Yale Alert: Police are investigating what they believe to be a false report from an individual threatening harm on Old Campus. Continue to shelter in place as police continue investigating out of an abundance of caution.
Yale Daily News quoted this alert verbatim, noting it announced police were investigating 'what they believe to be a false report from an individual threatening harm on Old Campus' and directed students to continue sheltering in place 'out of an abundance of caution'
Sent at 2:30 a.m. EST on January 17, 2023, while officers were reviewing card swipes and surveillance footage in and around Bingham Hall
This is the message that signaled to the campus that the report was likely a swatting hoax even before the all-clear was issued
ALL CLEARSMS+2h 11m
Approximate reconstruction157 chars
Yale Alert: All clear. The investigation is continuing but there is no immediate threat. The incident on Old Campus has been determined to be a false report.

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

Issued approximately 2 hours and 11 minutes after the initial alert, ending the shelter-in-place for Old Campus residents at 3:07 a.m. EST on January 17, 2023
The all-clear came after police conducted a room-by-room sweep of Bingham Hall and determined the threat was not credible, despite the caller threatening to begin shooting at approximately 2:45 a.m.
Context

Background

At 12:16 a.m. on January 17, 2023, the Yale Police Department received a call from an unknown male claiming he had seriously harmed a female student, that she may be deceased, and that he possessed a knife and hunting rifle. The caller said he was near Bingham Hall on Old Campus and threatened to shoot officers who tried to enter. At 12:34 a.m., the caller told a YPD officer he was in a dorm room in Bingham. Police immediately dispatched to Old Campus and set up a perimeter. At approximately 2:45 a.m., the caller escalated by saying he would begin shooting in eight minutes. However, conflicting information from the caller led police to determine they were dealing with a swatting incident. The caller also used racial slurs and claimed there was a bomb in a bathroom, further indicating the call was not credible. The YPD, New Haven Police Department, and FBI collaborated on the investigation to identify the caller. Swatting incidents at universities have increased significantly nationwide, with callers exploiting emergency alert systems to cause maximum disruption.
Analysis

Key Findings

The 40-minute gap between the initial call at 12:16 a.m. and the first Yale Alert at 12:56 a.m. reflects the challenge of assessing threat credibility before issuing a campus-wide notification
The caller demonstrated knowledge of Bingham Hall's layout, which initially lent credibility to the threat before inconsistencies emerged
The escalating nature of the calls, including threats to shoot in eight minutes, tested the police response framework even as officers increasingly suspected a hoax
The incident occurred during the first week of the spring semester, when dormitories were at full occupancy
Outcome
Police determined the calls were a false report (swatting) at approximately 3:00 a.m. No students were harmed. The Yale Police Department, New Haven Police Department, and FBI investigated to identify the caller.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    False reports of armed student in Bingham Hall triggers Old Campus lockdown - Yale Daily News
    yaledailynews.com
  2. Student Paper
    More details emerge about Old Campus swatting incident - Yale Daily News
    yaledailynews.com
  3. Official
    False Report Made to Yale Police Department (January 17, 2023) - Yale College Dean's Office
    yalecollege.yale.edu
  4. News
    Anonymous caller threatens safety of Yale students and SWAT's campus building - Fox 61
    fox61.com
Tags
swattinghoaxshelter-in-placeold-campusivy-leaguefalse-reportconnecticutHoax
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion