Palladium Hall and the Silver Center for Arts and Science have resumed normal operations after at least two emails threatened violence toward the university this morning, including a bomb threat targeting the residence hall. Campus will be under heightened security for the remainder of the day.
The New York City Police Department conducted a “top-to-bottom search” of the two buildings and federal authorities were notified of the incident, according to a 7:25 a.m. Campus Safety alert. The threats reportedly contained anti-LGBTQ+, anti-Black, anti-Asian, Islamophobic, antisemitic and anti-Jesuit targeted rhetoric.
At 8:25 a.m., a second Campus Safety alert said the NYPD gave both buildings the all-clear, and that access to the classes and labs in the spaces will be operating on a normal schedule.
“After a law enforcement investigation into email threats received early this morning, the Silver Center and Palladium Residence Hall have been given the all clear, and classes and labs are running as normal,” NYU spokesperson Joseph Tirella said in a statement to WSN.
Campus Safety did not respond to inquiries regarding the perpetrator’s identity or who received the threatening emails.
This follows a ‘hoax’ shooting threat in September and a bomb threat to NYU shuttles in October, which similarly left campus safety on ‘high alert.’ The university introduced a new active shooter threat training this semester, and administrators have commented on a rising number of false, “swatting” threats targeting universities nationwide.
Contact Selin Kemiktarak, Eva Mundo and Dharma Niles at [email protected].