Campus Alert Archive
BRCC

A Threatening Phone Call to One Student Locked Down Blue Ridge for an Hour

VAotheremergency notificationmedium confidence

On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, Virginia, locked down several buildings for nearly an hour after a student received a threatening phone call telling them to leave the cafeteria because it was about to be set on fire. The student left, classmates notified campus security, and BRCC Security plus Augusta County Sheriff's deputies searched the campus and found nothing suspicious.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Blue Ridge Community College
Community College · VA
BRCC Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPush
Approximate reconstruction160 chars
BRCC ALERT: Campus buildings are on lockdown due to a reported threat. Shelter in place, lock doors, and stay away from the cafeteria area until further notice.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Augusta County Sheriff's Office reported it was called at about 12:46 p.m. EST on January 30, 2024, after a student received a phone message telling them to leave the cafeteria because it was about to be set on fire; the alert wording was not published, so this is reconstructed.
The lockdown was a precaution tied to a threatening call to a single student, not a confirmed fire or device.
ALL CLEARPush
Approximate reconstruction161 chars
BRCC ALERT: The lockdown has been lifted. A search by campus security and the Augusta County Sheriff's Office found nothing suspicious. Normal operations resume.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

BRCC was on lockdown for nearly an hour; once BRCC Security and Augusta County deputies searched the campus and found nothing suspicious, the lockdown was lifted.
The Augusta County Sheriff's Office said it had identified the student who received the threatening call and that the investigation was continuing.
Context

Background

Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, Virginia, serves the Shenandoah Valley and is part of Virginia's Community Colleges system. On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, a student received a threatening phone call instructing them to leave the cafeteria because it was about to be set on fire. The student left and other students alerted campus security, which locked down several buildings and notified the county's 911 center around 12:46 p.m. EST. BRCC Security and Augusta County Sheriff's deputies searched the campus and found nothing suspicious, lifting the lockdown after nearly an hour. The sheriff's office identified the student who received the call and continued investigating. The incident shows how a single threatening phone call can drive a precautionary campus-wide lockdown at a rural community college.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Blue Ridge Community College put on lockdown Tuesday because of fire threat - The News Virginian
    newsvirginian.com
  2. News
    Sheriff's Office investigating after lockdown at Blue Ridge Community College - WHSV
    whsv.com
  3. Official
    Blue Ridge Alert - Blue Ridge Community College
    blueridge.edu
Tags
lockdownvirginiacommunity-collegethreatweyers-caveemergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion