Campus Alert Archive
CCF Medina

Hoax call reporting an armed hostage-taker locks down hospital for two hours

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OHswattingemergency notificationhigh confidence
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Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On November 13, 2018, a caller identifying himself as 'Jerry Smith' told Medina Police that a woman was holding people hostage with a gun on the second floor of Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital, a teaching site for the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. The 1:30 PM EST call placed the hospital and an attached medical office building on lockdown for two hours. The caller remained on the line for nine minutes with what police later described as an unusually relaxed demeanor before hanging up; the FBI later joined Medina Police in the search for him.

Alerts
2
Response
min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital (Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine teaching site)
Private R1 · OH
All CCF Medina cases →
~32 studentsMass-notification + overhead pageCleveland Clinic Alert Service
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.

INITIAL ALERTTwitter/X
Verified verbatim260 chars
Police are on scene at Medina Hospital responding to a potential active shooter situation in the medical office building. Both the hospital and office building are on lockdown. We advise no one travel to the Medina campus. We will continue to share updates.
Verify this quote
@CleClinicNews on X (verbatim raw t.co)x.comfind archived copies
Posted publicly by Cleveland Clinic's official @CleClinicNews account at 2:18 PM EST on November 13, 2018 (per the post's X status-ID timestamp), roughly 50 minutes into the lockdown; it explicitly localizes the threat to the medical office building and directs the public to stay away from the Medina campus
This is the first publicly transmitted message in the documented alert sequence; an internal Code Silver overhead page had already alerted on-site staff, but that page's wording was not preserved, so this public post is typed as the initial alert. The phrase 'We will continue to share updates' signals that further public messages were intended to follow
ALL CLEARTwitter/X+1h 29m
Wording not preserved

This message is documented at this point in the sequence, but its exact wording is not preserved in the public record. The public edition displays only confirmed alert text.

@CleClinicNews on X (verbatim)
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

Police are on scene at Medina Hospital responding to a potential active shooter situation in the medical office building. Both the hospital and office building are on lockdown. We advise no one travel to the Medina campus. We will continue to share updates.

  • Sourceabsent12/25

    Final assessment

    Reads split nearly evenly, with a slight majority finding "Police are on scene" too generic, no named agency, department, or branded alert system is given.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: 'Police are on scene'
    2. absent: Only says police are on scene, no named agency, department, or branded system identified.
    3. present: 'Police are on scene'
    4. absent: No specific sender identified, only 'Police are on scene' with no agency name.
    5. absent: 'Police are on scene' but no named agency or branded signature
    6. present: 'Police are on scene'.
    7. absent: No sender or branded signature identified, only 'Police' generically mentioned as on scene.
    8. present: 'Police are on scene' identifies the responding authority.
    9. present: 'Police are on scene'
    10. present: 'Police are on scene' identifies responding authority.
    11. absent: No issuing authority or branded signature named, only Police are on scene
    12. present: 'Police are on scene' identifies the responding authority.
    13. absent: 'Police are on scene' is generic, no named agency, department, or branded system identified.
    14. present: "Police are on scene" identifies responding authority.
    15. present: 'Police are on scene'
    16. absent: 'Police are on scene' names responders but no sender/agency identified in the message itself.
    17. absent: Only says 'Police are on scene', no named agency or branded alert system identified
    18. absent: No sender signature or institution/agency named; 'Police' is generic without naming an agency.
    19. present: 'Police are on scene' identifies responding authority.
    20. absent: Only says "Police are on scene" without naming a specific agency or branded alert.
    21. present: 'Police are on scene' names the responding authority.
    22. absent: 'Police' mentioned generically but no specific agency or alert brand named.
    23. absent: No branded signature or named agency; 'Police' mentioned only as responding, not as sender identity.
    24. present: 'Police are on scene' identifies responders
    25. absent: No sender/agency name or branded signature; 'Police are on scene' not a named entity source.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous: "potential active shooter situation" names the hazard.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: 'potential active shooter situation'
    2. present: Potential active shooter situation named.
    3. present: 'potential active shooter situation' names the hazard
    4. present: States 'potential active shooter situation'.
    5. present: 'potential active shooter situation'
    6. present: 'potential active shooter situation'.
    7. present: Names 'potential active shooter situation'.
    8. present: 'potential active shooter situation' names the specific hazard.
    9. present: 'potential active shooter situation'
    10. present: 'Potential active shooter situation' named.
    11. present: potential active shooter situation
    12. present: 'potential active shooter situation' names the specific hazard.
    13. present: 'potential active shooter situation' names hazard.
    14. present: "potential active shooter situation" names the hazard.
    15. present: 'potential active shooter situation'
    16. present: 'potential active shooter situation'.
    17. present: Names 'active shooter situation'
    18. present: 'active shooter situation' names the hazard.
    19. present: 'potential active shooter situation'.
    20. present: States "potential active shooter situation".
    21. present: 'potential active shooter situation' names the hazard.
    22. present: 'potential active shooter situation' names the hazard.
    23. present: 'potential active shooter situation' names hazard.
    24. present: Potential active shooter situation
    25. present: 'potential active shooter situation' names the hazard.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous: "Medina Hospital" and "medical office building" give the location.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: 'Medina Hospital ... medical office building'
    2. present: Medina Hospital medical office building given.
    3. present: 'Medina Hospital' and 'medical office building'
    4. present: Names 'Medina Hospital' and 'medical office building'.
    5. present: 'Medina Hospital... medical office building'
    6. present: 'Medina Hospital... medical office building'.
    7. present: Gives 'Medina Hospital' and 'medical office building'.
    8. present: 'Medina Hospital...medical office building' names the location.
    9. present: 'Medina Hospital', 'medical office building'
    10. present: Medina Hospital medical office building named.
    11. present: medical office building at Medina Hospital
    12. present: 'Medina Hospital' and 'medical office building' give the location.
    13. present: 'Medina Hospital... medical office building' given.
    14. present: "Medina Hospital" and "medical office building".
    15. present: 'Medina Hospital...medical office building'
    16. present: 'Medina Hospital', 'medical office building'.
    17. present: 'Medina Hospital...medical office building'
    18. present: 'Medina Hospital' and 'medical office building'.
    19. present: 'Medina Hospital... medical office building'.
    20. present: Specifies "Medina Hospital" and "medical office building".
    21. present: 'Medina Hospital...medical office building' names location.
    22. present: 'Medina Hospital ... medical office building'.
    23. present: 'Medina Hospital... medical office building' given.
    24. present: Medina Hospital, medical office building
    25. present: 'Medina Hospital... medical office building' named.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous: "We advise no one travel to the Medina campus" is explicit guidance.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'
    2. present: Advises no one travel to the Medina campus.
    3. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'
    4. present: Advises 'no one travel to the Medina campus'.
    5. present: 'advise no one travel to the Medina campus'
    6. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'.
    7. present: Advises 'no one travel to the Medina campus'.
    8. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'.
    9. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'
    10. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'.
    11. present: We advise no one travel to the Medina campus
    12. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus' instructs recipients.
    13. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'.
    14. present: "We advise no one travel to the Medina campus" and lockdown noted.
    15. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'
    16. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'.
    17. present: 'we advise no one travel to the Medina campus'
    18. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'.
    19. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus.'
    20. present: Advises "no one travel to the Medina campus".
    21. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus' is guidance.
    22. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'.
    23. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus'.
    24. present: Advise no one travel to the Medina campus
    25. present: 'We advise no one travel to the Medina campus.'
  • Timeabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous: no clock time, date, or recency marker is given anywhere in the message.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word given
    2. absent: No clock time or explicit recency marker given.
    3. absent: No clock time or recency marker given
    4. absent: No clock time or date given.
    5. absent: No clock time or recency marker
    6. absent: No clock time, date, or recency marker given.
    7. absent: No clock time or recency marker given.
    8. absent: No specific time or recency marker beyond present tense.
    9. absent: No clock time or explicit recency marker given
    10. absent: No clock time or recency marker given.
    11. absent: No specific time or recency stated
    12. absent: No clock time or recency marker given.
    13. absent: No clock time or date given.
    14. absent: No clock time, date, or recency term given.
    15. absent: No clock time or recency word given
    16. absent: No clock time or date given.
    17. absent: No clock time or recency marker beyond 'a short time ago' implied
    18. absent: No clock time, date, or recency marker given.
    19. absent: No clock time or date given.
    20. absent: No clock time or date given.
    21. absent: No clock time, date, or recency phrase given.
    22. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word given.
    23. absent: No clock time, date, or recency term given.
    24. absent: No clock time or recency marker given
    25. absent: No clock time or explicit recency marker given.
  • Impactabsent1/25

    Final assessment

    Nearly unanimous: no stated harm or severity beyond describing lockdown status, one dissenting read argued the active-shooter/lockdown framing implies danger.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No stated consequence beyond naming the situation
    2. absent: No stated consequence beyond naming the situation.
    3. absent: No stated harm or severity beyond naming the situation
    4. absent: No stated consequence beyond describing the lockdown.
    5. absent: No stated potential harm beyond naming the hazard
    6. absent: No stated consequence beyond naming the active shooter situation.
    7. absent: No stated consequence beyond the hazard being described as active shooter.
    8. absent: No explicit statement of potential harm beyond naming the situation.
    9. present: Active shooter with lockdown implies life-threatening danger
    10. absent: No explicit statement of potential harm.
    11. absent: No explicit statement of potential harm beyond naming the situation
    12. absent: No stated consequence beyond naming the situation.
    13. absent: No stated harm or severity beyond lockdown status.
    14. absent: No stated consequence beyond hazard name.
    15. absent: No stated consequence beyond hazard name
    16. absent: No explicit statement of harm or severity.
    17. absent: No stated consequence beyond the lockdown itself
    18. absent: No stated consequence beyond the situation description.
    19. absent: No explicit statement of harm or severity.
    20. absent: No stated consequence or severity beyond hazard name.
    21. absent: No stated consequence or severity beyond lockdown status.
    22. absent: No stated harm or severity conveyed.
    23. absent: No stated consequence beyond describing lockdown status.
    24. absent: No stated consequence beyond lockdown fact
    25. absent: No stated harm or severity described beyond hazard name.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

On November 13, 2018, a caller identifying himself as 'Jerry Smith' (with what reporters described as a 'thick' or 'foreign' accent) told Medina Police just before 1:30 PM EST that a woman was holding people hostage with a gun on the second floor of Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital. The call placed both the hospital and an attached medical office building on a two-hour lockdown, with close to 150 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responding. Cleveland Clinic Medina is a teaching site for the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, hosting emergency-medicine and internal-medicine residents on rotation. The caller stayed on the phone for nine minutes, describing a hostage scenario with unusual specificity but with a 'relaxed demeanor' that Medina Police Chief Ed Kinney later said was atypical for genuine hostage situations. After a building sweep found no female suspect and no shots had been fired, the scene was declared clear at approximately 3:30 PM EST. The FBI subsequently joined Medina Police in the search for 'Jerry Smith'; the 911 recording was publicly released the following day in hopes the voice would be recognized. The case is one of the earliest documented hospital-targeted swatting events at a Cleveland Clinic facility, predating the 2025 Mercy Hospital bomb threat and Fairview shooting lockdowns by nearly seven years.
Analysis

Key Findings

The 2018 hoax pre-dates the 2022-2025 swatting waves by several years, an early documented example of a hospital-targeted hoax lockdown
Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital functions as a Lerner College of Medicine teaching site, meaning residents on rotation were among those sheltered in place, a population usually invisible in Clery-style emergency-notification metrics
Medina Police released the 911 audio the next day to seek public identification of the caller, predating the FBI's coordinated public outreach during the 2022-2025 swatting waves
Outcome
After a sweep of the hospital and the medical office building, the scene was declared clear at approximately 3:30 PM EST. No shots were fired and no suspect was ever located. The FBI joined Medina Police in pursuing the hoax caller.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. News
    Police: Active shooter situation at Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital was a 'hoax' (Cleveland 19)
    cleveland19.com
    archived copy
  2. News
    Police release 911 call that triggered active shooter hoax at Medina Hospital (Cleveland 19)
    cleveland19.com
    archived copy
  3. News
    FBI teams up with Medina Police to track down 911 hoax caller (Cleveland 19)
    cleveland19.com
    archived copy
  4. News
    Police: Medina Hospital situation was a 'hoax' (News 5 Cleveland)
    news5cleveland.com
    archived copy
  5. News
    Listen: Hoax 911 call released after lockdown (WKYC)
    wkyc.com
    archived copy
  6. Social
    Cleveland Clinic News (@CleClinicNews) on X, lockdown announcement
    x.com
    archived copy
  7. Official
    Cleveland Clinic Newsroom: Police Responding to Potential Active Shooter at Medina Hospital
    newsroom.clevelandclinic.org
    archived copy
  8. Official
    Cleveland Clinic Alert Service FAQ
    my.clevelandclinic.org
    archived copy
  9. social media
    @CleClinicNews on X (verbatim)
    x.com
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital (Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine teaching site): Hoax call reporting an armed hostage-taker locks down hospital for two hours." Incident of November 13, 2018. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/cleveland-clinic-medina-hoax-2018-11-13/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
hoaxswattingcode-silverohiocleveland-cliniclerner-college-of-medicinecase-western-reserveteaching-hospital911-audio-releasedHoax
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion