Dear Lehigh Families,
You may be aware of the false reports of an active shooter on Lehigh’s campus yesterday evening. Student safety is our top priority, and we wanted to provide additional information about the sequence of events for Lehigh families, which has been communicated with members of the campus community.
Yesterday evening, Northampton County 9-1-1 non-emergency received a call indicating that there was an active shooter at “the main building” at Packer and Webster. The report originated from outside of the area. Lehigh used its HawkWatch alert system to rapidly notify members of the campus community and advise all to follow safety protocols.
Lehigh University and Bethlehem police responded within a minute to the area of East Packer Avenue and Webster Street near the Business Innovation Building. Lehigh and Bethlehem police searched key areas and investigated follow-up leads, including additional reports from members of the Lehigh community. No threat was detected in any of the surrounding areas. Based on the information and lack of additional credible reports of an active threat, members of the community were asked to continue to shelter in place until police were confident in providing the all-clear.
Police provided the all-clear after conducting walking checks of Packer Campus and surrounding areas, including all buildings operating with extended study hours. After the area was declared clear and the call was determined to be a hoax, LUPD added additional patrols on campus throughout the evening.
Efforts are underway to identify and locate the person(s) responsible for this act. As the lead agency in the investigation, LUPD is initiating an investigation and engaging with the Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI to utilize its resources to identify those responsible.
Although hoax calls of this type are unfortunately becoming an unsettling pattern nationwide, each instance must be treated as an active threat to ensure the safety of the community.
The events last night were distressing for our community, and particularly for our students, some who had to be evacuated from buildings as they were studying. In addition to the disruption, we recognize that this incident may have caused students to experience feelings of anxiety, particularly in light of recent national shootings. Available counseling resources have been communicated to students, and students in distress are encouraged to reach out if they need additional support.
We encourage families to download the Hawkwatch app to receive emergency notifications. If you do not have a smartphone, you can still receive text messages from HawkWatch. Text LEHIGH to 237233 to subscribe to alerts.
In the case of a true emergency, Lehigh employs several emergency services. While we are grateful that this incident was not an active threat, we realize that the situation brought up very real emotions and was alarming in nature. Campus Safety and the LUPD will continue to support the safety of our campus and members of the Lehigh community through every resource and avenue possible.
Jason Schiffer
Assistant Vice President of Campus Safety
Chief of Police
Ricardo Hall
Vice President for Student Affairs