/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/618dcceb0011b3596532719d/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=3000&cropY1=0&cropY2=1687 "Buildings At MIT, NYU, USC Evacuated In Series Of Bomb Threats")
Topline
Evacuations were ordered at New York University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Southern California on Thursday due to bomb threats, after a number of other high-profile schools were hit with fake bomb threats over the past week.
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 06: A statue of the school mascot, the Trojan, stands on the campus of the … [+]
Key Facts
New York University said it received bomb threats at the Stern School of Business, the Center for Neural Science and Hebrew Union College, and evacuated them while police investigated.
The University of Southern California also evacuated three buildings due to threats — Grace Ford Salvatori Hall, Sample Hall and Wallis Annenberg Hall — which were deemed to be safe and reopened about 20 minutes later.
Cambridge Police said on Twitter that bomb threats to Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building 54 were made via phone, and though there was “no evidence” found to substantiate the threats, they evacuated the building “out of an abundance for caution.”
What We Don’t Know
Whether the bomb threats at the universities are connected. Cambridge Police acknowledged that similar threats “have been called into or sent via social media” to multiple universities over the past week. New Haven Police, which investigated a bomb threat at Yale University, said that the threats at universities are “possibly related.”
Key Background
On Sunday Columbia, Cornell and Brown universities evacuated buildings on their campuses due to similar bomb threats, which police later found to be fake. A Brown University spokesperson said they received the threat by phone, similar to MIT. A false bomb threat was also reported Saturday at Miami University and Friday at Yale, which were both cleared by police shortly after the threats were reported. New Haven Acting Police Chief Renee Dominguez told reporters Wednesday the threat came through on their department’s non-emergency number and they are investigating where the call came from. Dominguez also said FBI has gotten involved with the investigation.
