Villanova University endured a “cruel hoax” that saw students flee and law enforcement rush onto campus as a report of an active shooter came in, its president said.
Despite the report, there was no active shooter, no injuries, and no evidence of firearms present. The incident comes after an active shooter was reported erroneously at Chattanooga University earlier Thursday.
“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 Peter Donohue said in a note to the campus community.
“Mercifully, no one was injured, and we know now that it was a cruel hoax,” he said.
“While that is a blessing and relief,” he added, “I know today’s events have shaken our entire community.”
The perpetrator of the hoax is unclear. Donohue thanked the responding law enforcement and offered a prayer to students.
The school had seen students begin their new student orientation on Thursday, with classes set to begin on Monday. The shooting report comes as many universities across the country are beginning their school years and starting student orientations.
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The Radnor Township Police Department had confirmed to the Washington Examiner that they and several other agencies were on scene at the school. A large police presence was seen at the John F. Scarpa Center for Entrepreneurship and Law on campus.
The school is located in a suburb near Philadelphia. Among its most famous alumni, Pope Leo XIV graduated from Villanova in 1977.
