Princeton University re-opens after bomb scare

Princeton University has reopened its campus after an hours-long search for explosives turned up nothing.

The New Jersey Ivy League university reopened Tuesday evening about eight hours after it received a phoned-in bomb threat against multiple buildings and evacuated its campus and off-campus buildings. Nearly 7,000 people were affected.

The University posted this message on its website.

Princeton University reopened its campus at 6:25 p.m. Tuesday, about eight hours after students, faculty and staff were evacuated because of a bomb threat.

The University received a phone call from someone who said multiple bombs were placed throughout campus at unspecified locations. After determining that the threat was credible, University officials ordered the campus evacuated. Faculty and staff were sent home; students were told to go to public places in the town of Princeton, including the Princeton Public Library, the Princeton Arts Council and the Nassau Inn.

The University’s Department of Public Safety worked with multiple law enforcement agencies to investigate, including the Princeton Police Department, Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad, Mercer County Sheriff’s Department and Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County K-9 unit, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey Transit Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Bomb-sniffing dogs were brought in from law enforcement agencies and searched campus in a coordinated effort with University staff members. No explosive devices were found. The University takes all threats to the safety and well being of its community members and visitors seriously.

The Department of Public Safety will continue to work with law enforcement agencies as they investigate the source of the threat. The campus bomb threat was one of similar threats received in other locations elsewhere in the United States on Tuesday.

University operations have returned to normal, although anyone involved in events scheduled Tuesday evening should check with event organizers to see if they are still on.

TigerTransit will resume its normal schedule Wednesday morning.

No explosives have been found but a building-by-building search continues at Princeton University. The campus was evacuated beginning at 10:30 a.m. after police said bomb threats were made to multiple locations at the university. Princeton University issued this update at 4:04 p.m.

In the aftermath of a bomb threat, searches of the Princeton University campus are continuing and significant progress has been made this afternoon. The searches are expected to continue for a few hours more, and University officials hope to reopen campus this evening. However, no decision to reopen will be made until the searches are completed.

As of 3:30 p.m., no explosives had been found. Bomb-sniffing dogs brought in from law enforcement agencies were on campus, and University officials were doing other searches. The bomb threat at the University was one of a number of similar threats around the United States today.

Also, TigerTransit service has been suspended until Wednesday morning.

Bomb-sniffing dogs have arrived. That’s the latest development on the Princeton University campus following this morning’s bomb threat. Princeton University issued this latest update on its website at 1:33 p.m. 

Law enforcement authorities are inspecting buildings on the Princeton University campus in the wake of a bomb threat. Bomb-sniffing dogs were brought in, and the search of campus facilities was expected to take several hours. No estimate on when the building sweep might be completed was available at the time of this update. The University takes all threats to the safety and well being of our community members and visitors seriously and is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

Princeton University was evacuated late this morning due to a bomb threat. In an updated message on the school’s website at 12:03 p.m. it says an investigation into the threat is proceeding.

Following a bomb threat to multiple, unspecified buildings on campus, the University has been evacuated. The University’s Department of Public Safety is investigating the threat with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Students, faculty and staff were advised to go home, assemble at evacuation sites or go into the town of Princeton, where the Nassau Inn, Princeton Public Library and Princeton Arts Council buildings were open to them.

Except for essential workers from Public Safety and the Department of Facilities, employees are not expected to return to campus for work today.

The University will continue to update the homepage as more information becomes available. The next update is expected around 1:30 p.m.

An earlier message announced the evacuation at 10:26 a.m.

There has been a bomb threat to multiple unspecified campus buildings. Please evacuate the campus and all University offices immediately and go home unless otherwise directed by your supervisor. Public Safety officers and Princeton Police will direct drivers leaving the campus and those without cars will be directed to evacuation sites. You will receive an update later today. Do not return to campus for any reason until advised otherwise.

Princeton does not hold a summer semester but the school sometimes host other groups. During an evacuation the university implements its Emergency Action Plan, which includes directing people to designated evacuation points.

The Associated Press reports that the bomb threat was phoned in and indicated that there were threats to multiple buildings. 

From Princeton Police Deparment’s Twitter page:

11:47 a.m. – Campus evacuation is in effect, no other threats in town. Please avoid downtown if at all possible.

11:40 a.m. – Traffic inbound to Princeton from Rt 1 is closed at this time. Outbound traffic is being allowed at this time. Please avoid downtown.

10:53 a.m. – Princeton University has reported a bomb threat on campus. Princeton PD is assisting PUDPS; campus evacuations occurring.

From Princeton University’s Twitter page:

11:45 a.m. – Roads around campus are congested. Please allow extra time if you are driving, cycling or walking on the outskirts of campus.

11:39 a.m. – If you’ve left campus, you may go to Nassau Inn, Princeton Public Library and Princeton Arts Council building downtown.

11:03 a.m. – Regular classes are over and Commencement was last Tuesday. Most students left campus days or weeks ago.