Villanova University went on lockdown Thursday afternoon following reports of an active shooter on campus, only for the president to send an email over an hour later describing the situation as a "cruel hoax."
Around 4:30 p.m., the school sent an alert for students and staff on campus to stay clear of the Charles Widger School of Law, lock or barricade doors and move to a secure location. The Radnor Township Police Department said it was on location and asked anyone on campus to shelter in place.
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Freshman orientation at the Delaware County school started Wednesday, with events scheduled through Sunday. On Thursday, an opening mass for students was scheduled for 4:15-5:15 p.m. on the Rowan Campus Green.
"Today, as we are celebrating Orientation Mass to welcome our newest Villanovans and their families to our community, panic and terror ensued with the news of a possible shooter at the Law School," Villanova President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue said in an email to students and their families that was sent at 6 p.m. "Mercifully, no one was injured, and we now know that it was a cruel hoax — there was no active shooter, no injuries and no evidence of firearms present on campus. While that is a blessing and relief, I know today's events have shaken our entire community."
Video from Liam Zieg near Austin Hall on Villanova’s main campus after an alert was sent out for an active shooter:
pic.twitter.com/OVcDmQkp4T— Dylan Johnson (@bydylanjohnson) August 21, 2025
Earlier Thursday, a similar incident unfolded at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Authorities there received a call about an active shooter on the school’s campus around 12:30 p.m. Investigators placed the university on lockdown, but later reported there was “no longer a threat.”
The incident in Tennessee is being investigated as a possible case of swatting, a term used when prank calls are made to emergency services to prompt a large police response. The FBI is assisting with the investigation in Chattanooga.
Shortly after 5:30 p.m., Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer arrived at Villanova’s campus and told 6ABC that investigators were actively searching for an armed suspect.
“We believe there is a shooter who’s in one of these buildings,” he said. “We have law enforcement from the entire tri-state area here, and we are going door to door, room to room if we have to, to make this situation under control and to make this campus safe."
Just after 6:15 p.m., Stollsteimer confirmed the report of a shooting was a hoax. He said the 911 call came in around 4:30 p.m. and a person claimed there was an active shooter in a building that's part of Villanova's Charles Widger School of Law. The caller falsely told authorities at least one person had been wounded.
Law enforcement agencies from throughout the region responded to reports of an active shooter at Villanova University on Thursday. The reports were a hoax, investigators say. The photo above was taken after the lockdown was lifted.
"We are going to conduct a full investigation. Our federal partners are with us as well," Stollsteimer said. "… We're all going to work to try to get to the bottom of who might have done this. If this was indeed a cruel hoax, this is a crime and we will track you down if it's the last thing we do."
Stollsteimer declined to discuss details about how investigators will attempt to trace the 911 call.
Gov. Josh Shapiro in a post on X called it "a cruel swatting incident" and said he directed the state police "to use every tool at our disposal to find the person or people who called in this fake threat and hold them accountable."
The Widger School of Law is part of Villanova's main campus, but it's separated from most of the college's other academic buildings by SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Regional Rail line. The law school is located on Spring Mill Road across from multiple student residence buildings.
A PhillyVoice staff member who was on campus Thursday for events to welcome new students and their families said she and others were locked inside the Villanova bookstore, which is located across the law school. The lights were turned off and people were hiding in the store's clothing racks, she said.
An X user, who said he was on campus to help move in his sister, an incoming freshman, posted a photo from inside a room that showed furniture piled in front of the door.
"Barricaded to the best of our ability," Luke Sullivan wrote.
This is a developing story and will be updated as information is available.
Senior staff writer Kristin Hunt contributed to this report.