Campus Alert Archive
Brookdale

Less Than 20 Minutes: Brookdale's First Lockdown a Day After Its Police Were Disbanded

NJlockdownemergency notificationmedium confidence

Brookdale Community College's Lincroft campus was placed on lockdown on the afternoon of March 2, 2023, after an isolated incident involving a student. A Rave Alert went out at 2:56 p.m. and a second alert at 3:14 p.m. announced the situation was resolved and the person was in custody. The lockdown lasted under 20 minutes and came one day after the Brookdale Police Department was disbanded and the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office took over campus patrol.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Brookdale Community College
Community College · NJ
~11,000 studentsRaveBrookdale Rave 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 ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction163 chars
Brookdale Alert: LOCKDOWN in effect on the Lincroft campus due to a security situation. Lock doors, stay inside, and remain away from windows until further notice.

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

Reconstructed wording; the exact Rave Alert text was not published, so this is marked unconfirmed. The 2:56 p.m. EST send time is from the student newspaper.
The lockdown was the first major test of campus alerting the day after Brookdale disbanded its own police force and handed patrol to the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office.
ALL CLEARSMS+18 min
Approximate reconstruction171 chars
Brookdale Alert: The situation has been resolved and the individual is in custody. The lockdown is lifted and normal operations may resume. Thank you for your cooperation.

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

Reconstructed all-clear; the 3:14 p.m. EST send time and the 'person in custody' resolution are confirmed by the student newspaper.
Only 18 minutes elapsed between the 2:56 p.m. lockdown alert and the 3:14 p.m. all-clear.
Context

Background

Brookdale Community College serves Monmouth County, New Jersey, from its main Lincroft campus. On March 2, 2023, the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office initiated a lockdown after what officials called an isolated incident involving a student. According to The Current, the college's student newspaper, the first Rave Alert went out at 2:56 p.m. EST and a second alert at 3:14 p.m. said the situation was resolved and the person who caused the threat was in custody — a lockdown of under 20 minutes. News 12 New Jersey reported the scare and noted the timing was notable because the lockdown came one day after the Brookdale Police Department was disbanded and the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office assumed patrol of the campus. The case is a clean example of a short, well-bounded community-college lockdown and a test of a brand-new policing arrangement.
Analysis

Key Findings

The first Rave Alert went out at 2:56 p.m. EST; a resolution alert followed at 3:14 p.m. EST
The lockdown lasted under 20 minutes and ended with the individual in custody
It occurred one day after Brookdale disbanded its police force and the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office took over campus patrol
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Lockdown Was Less Than 20 Minutes But Impact Lingers - The Current
    bcccurrent.com
  2. News
    Gun scare prompts Brookdale Community College lockdown - News 12 New Jersey
    newjersey.news12.com
  3. News
    Lockdown Instituted at Brookdale Community College - Jersey Coast Emergency News
    jerseycoastemergencynews.com
Tags
lockdowncommunity-collegenew-jerseyrave-alertcampus-policingemergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion