SWAT teams cleared buildings at Villanova campus in Pennsylvania after a reported “hoax”
Police cleared buildings at Villanova University in Pennsylvania on Thursday after receiving a report of an active shooter.
SWAT teams arrived at Villanova, a private Catholic university in a suburb of Philadelphia, in the afternoon.
Students and nearby residents were instructed to shelter in place, while those on campus were told to lock or barricade doors.
Videos posted on social media show people leaving the area in panic, while multiple students said they had barricaded themselves inside rooms.
Videos posted on social media showed people fleeing the area in panic, while multiple students said they had barricaded themselves inside rooms.
Ah nothing more American than an active shooter during first week of school….scene at Villanova today during first year student mass pic.twitter.com/TkNXwPYGVx
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) August 21, 2025
Villanova President Peter Donohue later called the report of a shooter a “cruel hoax.”
“There was no active shooter, no injuries, and no evidence of firearms on campus,” he said in an emailed statement to the media.
The incident appears to be the second case of a swatting prank against a US college this week. On Tuesday, a shooting was falsely reported at Doane University in Nebraska, prompting a lockdown and police response.
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