Campus Alert Archive
Lehigh

Assault, April 17, 2025

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Confirmed Threat

On the evening of April 17, 2025, two Lehigh University community members reported being struck by projectiles (believed to be from a BB or Airsoft gun) fired from a moving red four-door pickup truck around 8:40 PM EDT near Fritz Laboratory on the south Bethlehem campus. LUPD issued a HawkWatch timely warning at 8:51 PM EDT (11 minutes after the incident) describing the vehicle's direction of travel (north on Taylor Street, west on Packer Avenue). Follow-up alerts in the days that followed identified the vehicle's model and license plate and confirmed suspects in custody.

Alerts
3
Response
11 min
Killed
0
Injured
2
Institution
Lehigh University
Private R1 · PA
All Lehigh cases →
~7,800 studentsHawkWatch
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 3 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.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatim683 chars
Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning regarding Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle and is being distributed to students, faculty and staff due to a Clery Act reportable crime occurring on or in close proximity to campus. At approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025, Lehigh Police received two reports of some type of projectile striking them. The projectile is possibly a BB gun or an Airsoft. The projectiles were discharged from a 4-door red pickup truck. The truck was last seen driving north on Taylor Street and west on Packer Avenue in the area of Fritz Lab. Anyone with information about this vehicle is being asked to call Lehgih Police at 610.758.4200.
Verify this quote
Lehigh HawkWatch CAP — Projectiles Discharged from a Vehiclelehigh.apparmor.comfind archived copies
Issued 11 minutes after the 8:40 PM EDT incident, within the federal Clery Act timely-warning window and ahead of national medians for similar incidents
Fritz Laboratory is Lehigh's mid-campus civil-engineering structural-testing facility, a familiar landmark to all engineering students; including it in the alert text aided rapid geographic comprehension
The LUPD 610-758-4200 number is the published non-emergency dispatch line for Lehigh University Police
UPDATEEmail+45 min
Verified verbatim881 chars
Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning regarding Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle and is being distributed to students, faculty, and staff due to a Clery Act reportable crime occurring on or in close proximity to campus. Lehigh University Police have received multiple reports of students struck by projectiles that were discharged from a vehicle. The incidents reported to Lehigh Police all occurred at around 8:30 to 8:45 PM. There does not appear to be an ongoing threat to campus. The vehicle has been identified through CCTV and license plate cameras as a red Dodge Dakota pickup truck, bearing PA registration plate ZYD-3249. The projectiles were being discharged by a front passenger. Lehigh Police are working with surrounding police agencies to identify the person(s) responsible. Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call 610.758.4200.
Verify this quote
Lehigh HawkWatch CAP — UPDATE Projectiles Discharged from a Vehiclelehigh.apparmor.comfind archived copies
Lehigh's follow-up alert pattern (initial timely warning, then a 'suspects identified' message) is consistent with Patriot League peer schools and reflects best-practice Clery Act communication
The inclusion of UCPS (University Counseling and Psychological Services) is standard Lehigh HawkWatch post-incident boilerplate
The release of license-plate detail in a follow-up but not in the initial alert reflects standard police-investigative practice of not tipping off suspects while initial sweeps are active
ALL CLEAREmail+3h 29m
Verified verbatim626 chars
Lehigh University is issuing a Timely Warning UPDATE. All suspects from the previously reported assaults are in custody. Lehigh University Police have located and arrested the suspects involved in the assaults. There is no further danger to the community. We want to thank the members of the Lehigh community for acting quickly, contacting police, and providing actionable descriptions that led to the identification, location, and arrest of the suspects. This update to the Timely Warning is being distributed to students, faculty, and staff due to a Clery Act reportable crime occurring on or in close proximity to campus.
Verify this quote
Lehigh HawkWatch CAP — ALL CLEAR: Suspects in custodylehigh.apparmor.comfind archived copies
ALL CLEAR CAP message: suspects in custody; no further danger to the community
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.

Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning regarding Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle and is being distributed to students, faculty and staff due to a Clery Act reportable crime occurring on or in close proximity to campus. At approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025, Lehigh Police received two reports of some type of projectile striking them. The projectile is possibly a BB gun or an Airsoft. The projectiles were discharged from a 4-door red pickup truck. The truck was last seen driving north on Taylor Street and west on Packer Avenue in the area of Fritz Lab. Anyone with information about this vehicle is being asked to call Lehgih Police at 610.758.4200.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 24 reads agree the alert names Lehigh University and Lehigh Police as the issuing authority.

    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: Names 'Lehigh University' and 'Lehigh Police' as issuing authority.
    2. present: Identifies 'Lehigh University' issuing a 'Timely Warning' via 'Lehigh Police'.
    3. present: 'Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning', 'Lehigh Police received'
    4. present: Identifies "Lehigh University" and "Lehigh Police" as issuer/authority.
    5. present: 'Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning', 'Lehigh Police received'.
    6. present: References 'Lehigh University' and 'Lehigh Police' as issuers.
    7. present: Identifies 'Lehigh University' and 'Lehigh Police' as issuers.
    8. present: Lehigh University issuing the Timely Warning
    9. present: 'Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning', 'Lehigh Police'
    10. present: Identifies 'Lehigh University' and 'Lehigh Police.'
    11. present: Identifies 'Lehigh University' and 'Lehigh Police' as issuer.
    12. present: Issued by 'Lehigh University' and 'Lehigh Police'.
    13. present: 'Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning,' Lehigh Police named.
    14. present: Issued as a Lehigh University Timely Warning referencing Lehigh Police.
    15. present: States 'Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning' and 'Lehigh Police'.
    16. present: 'Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning', 'Lehigh Police'.
    17. present: Identifies 'Lehigh University' and 'Lehigh Police' as issuer.
    18. present: Identifies 'Lehigh University' and 'Lehigh Police' as issuer.
    19. present: 'Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning' and 'Lehigh Police'.
    20. present: Issued as a Lehigh University Timely Warning referencing Lehigh Police.
    21. present: 'Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning' and 'Lehigh Police'.
    22. present: Issued by "Lehigh University" via "Lehigh Police".
    23. present: 'Lehigh University has issued a Timely Warning' and 'Lehigh Police received'.
    24. present: From 'Lehigh University' and 'Lehigh Police.'
    25. present: Lehigh Police is the named issuer of the Timely Warning.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous agreement that the alert names the hazard as projectiles discharged from a vehicle, likely a BB gun or Airsoft.

    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: Names 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', likely 'BB gun or an Airsoft'.
    2. present: Names 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', possibly 'BB gun or Airsoft'.
    3. present: 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', 'some type of projectile striking them'
    4. present: States "Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle", possibly a "BB gun or an Airsoft".
    5. present: 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle'.
    6. present: States 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle'.
    7. present: States 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle'.
    8. present: Projectiles discharged from a vehicle, possibly BB/Airsoft gun
    9. present: 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', possibly BB gun or Airsoft
    10. present: States 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle,' possibly BB or Airsoft gun.
    11. present: States 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', possibly 'BB gun or an Airsoft'.
    12. present: States 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', possibly BB or Airsoft.
    13. present: 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle,' possibly BB gun/Airsoft.
    14. present: Names projectiles, possibly a BB gun or Airsoft, discharged from a vehicle.
    15. present: States 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', likely BB/Airsoft.
    16. present: 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', struck people.
    17. present: States 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', likely BB or Airsoft gun.
    18. present: States 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle' as the specific hazard.
    19. present: 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', 'BB gun or an Airsoft'.
    20. present: Names projectiles discharged from a vehicle.
    21. present: 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', 'BB gun or Airsoft'.
    22. present: Describes "Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle".
    23. present: 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle...possibly a BB gun or an Airsoft.'
    24. present: 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle' names the hazard.
    25. present: 'Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle', likely BB/Airsoft, named.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All reads agree the alert gives specific location detail: the truck's path on Taylor Street and Packer Avenue near Fritz Lab.

    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: Names 'area of Fritz Lab' and streets Taylor/Packer.
    2. present: Names 'area of Fritz Lab' and streets.
    3. present: 'in the area of Fritz Lab'
    4. present: Names "Taylor Street", "Packer Avenue", and "area of Fritz Lab".
    5. present: 'in the area of Fritz Lab'.
    6. present: Names 'Taylor Street', 'Packer Avenue', 'area of Fritz Lab'.
    7. present: Names 'Fritz Lab' and streets driven by the truck.
    8. present: Taylor Street, Packer Avenue, area of Fritz Lab
    9. present: 'in the area of Fritz Lab'
    10. present: Names 'Taylor Street' and 'Packer Avenue in the area of Fritz Lab.'
    11. present: 'north on Taylor Street and west on Packer Avenue in the area of Fritz Lab'.
    12. present: Gives 'north on Taylor Street and west on Packer Avenue in the area of Fritz Lab.'
    13. present: 'Taylor Street,' 'Packer Avenue,' 'area of Fritz Lab.'
    14. present: Names Taylor Street, Packer Avenue, and the area of Fritz Lab.
    15. present: Names 'area of Fritz Lab' and street routes.
    16. present: 'area of Fritz Lab' and streets named.
    17. present: Names 'Fritz Lab' and streets Taylor and Packer.
    18. present: Names 'Taylor Street' and 'area of Fritz Lab'.
    19. present: 'in the area of Fritz Lab'.
    20. present: Names Taylor Street, Packer Avenue, and area of Fritz Lab.
    21. present: 'in the area of Fritz Lab'.
    22. present: Names "Taylor Street", "Packer Avenue", "Fritz Lab".
    23. present: 'in the area of Fritz Lab'.
    24. present: 'north on Taylor Street and west on Packer Avenue in the area of Fritz Lab' given.
    25. present: Taylor Street, Packer Avenue, area of Fritz Lab given.
  • Guidanceabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous across all 24 reads: the alert only asks readers to call police with tips about the vehicle, giving no protective action instruction.

    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. absent: Only asks for information, gives no protective action for recipients.
    2. absent: No protective action instructed, only a request to call police with information.
    3. absent: No protective action instructed, only asks for tips
    4. absent: Only asks for information about the vehicle; no protective action instructed.
    5. absent: Only asks for tips/information, no protective action instructed.
    6. absent: Only asks for information; no protective action instructed.
    7. absent: No protective action instructed, only a request to call police with information.
    8. absent: Only asks for information, no protective action instructed
    9. absent: only asks for information, no protective action for recipients
    10. absent: No protective action instructed, only a request for tips.
    11. absent: Only asks for tips about the vehicle, no protective instruction to recipients.
    12. absent: Only asks for information about the vehicle; no protective action instructed.
    13. absent: Only asks for info about the vehicle, no protective action instructed.
    14. absent: Only asks for information about the vehicle; gives no protective action.
    15. absent: Only asks for information, no protective action instructed.
    16. absent: Only asks for tips on the vehicle, no protective action for recipients.
    17. absent: No protective action instructed, only asks for tips about the vehicle.
    18. absent: No protective action instructed, only a call for tips.
    19. absent: No protective action instructed, only a request to call police with information.
    20. absent: Only asks recipients with information to call police, no protective action given.
    21. absent: Only asks for info about the vehicle, no protective action instructed.
    22. absent: Only asks for information; no protective action instructed.
    23. absent: Only asks for information, no protective action instructed.
    24. absent: No protective action instructed, only request for information.
    25. absent: Only asks for information about the vehicle, no protective action instructed.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All reads agree the alert gives a specific time and date, approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025.

    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. present: States 'At approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    2. present: Gives 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    3. present: 'At approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'
    4. present: Gives "approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025".
    5. present: 'At approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    6. present: Gives 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    7. present: Gives 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    8. present: Approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025
    9. present: 'At approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'
    10. present: Gives 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025.'
    11. present: 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    12. present: Gives 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    13. present: 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025.'
    14. present: States the reports occurred 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    15. present: Gives 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    16. present: 'At approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    17. present: Gives 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    18. present: Gives 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    19. present: 'At approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    20. present: Gives approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025.
    21. present: 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    22. present: Gives "approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025".
    23. present: 'At approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025'.
    24. present: 'approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025' given.
    25. present: 'Approximately 8:40 PM on Thursday, April 17, 2025' given.
  • Impactabsent2/25

    Final assessment

    23 of 24 reads find no stated harm or severity beyond describing people being struck; one dissenting read counted the mention of being struck as impact, but the strong majority holds impact absent.

    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 potential harm or severity conveyed.
    2. absent: No stated harm or severity beyond 'struck them' with a projectile.
    3. absent: No stated injury or severity beyond being 'struck'
    4. absent: No stated potential harm or severity beyond describing being struck by projectiles.
    5. absent: No stated injury or severity from being struck by the projectile.
    6. absent: Describes being struck but no explicit statement of broader danger/severity.
    7. absent: No stated harm beyond 'struck them' description.
    8. absent: No stated consequence or severity
    9. present: 'two reports of some type of projectile striking them'
    10. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    11. absent: No stated potential harm beyond 'struck them', no severity described.
    12. absent: States two people were 'struck', no further severity or injury detail given.
    13. absent: No stated severity or consequence beyond describing being struck.
    14. present: States 'two reports of some type of projectile striking them', an explicit statement that people were hit.
    15. absent: No stated injury or severity beyond being struck.
    16. absent: No stated injury from being struck by projectiles.
    17. absent: No stated consequence or severity beyond describing the projectile strikes.
    18. absent: No stated consequence or severity beyond describing the projectile strikes.
    19. absent: No stated injury or severity beyond the projectile striking people.
    20. absent: No statement of potential harm or consequence.
    21. absent: No stated injury or harm from being struck by projectiles.
    22. absent: No stated consequence or severity.
    23. absent: No stated potential harm beyond describing being struck.
    24. absent: States 'struck them,' no further stated severity.
    25. absent: No stated injury or consequence, only 'struck' by a projectile.

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

About this analysis
Context

Background

Lehigh University is a private R1 research university of about 7,800 students in south Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on the steep slope known as South Mountain. On the evening of April 17, 2025, at approximately 8:40 PM EDT, two Lehigh community members were struck by projectiles fired from a moving red four-door pickup truck near Fritz Laboratory, the university's century-old structural-engineering testing building. The projectiles were believed to be from a BB or Airsoft gun. LUPD issued a HawkWatch timely warning at 8:51 PM EDT (11 minutes after the incident) describing the vehicle and its direction of travel. The Brown and White, Lehigh's student newspaper, reported that subsequent email alerts identified the vehicle's model and license plate and confirmed suspects had been taken into custody. The incident was one of three high-profile HawkWatch alerts at Lehigh during 2025, the January 30 active-shooter swatting and the September 11 racially targeted email hoax bookended this April incident.
Analysis

Key Findings

An 11-minute initial-alert response time (from 8:40 PM incident to 8:51 PM alert) places Lehigh among the faster Patriot League peers on real-incident timely-warning compliance
The specific vehicle description (red four-door pickup) and direction-of-travel detail (north on Taylor, west on Packer) in the initial alert exemplifies actionable Clery-style alert design
Lehigh used follow-up emails to release tactical investigative detail (license plate, vehicle model) only after the immediate sweep had concluded, a balance between transparency and operational security
Three high-profile HawkWatch alerts in 2025 (January swatting, April projectiles, September racial-threat hoax) marked an unusual concentration of incidents at one Patriot League institution
Outcome
Two community members were struck by projectiles; injuries were non-life-threatening. The Lehigh University Police Department, in coordination with Bethlehem Police, identified the vehicle and made arrests. Lehigh's HawkWatch follow-up confirmed the suspect vehicle's model and license plate. No serious injuries were reported.
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. Official
    Lehigh HawkWatch CAP — ALL CLEAR: Suspects in custody
    lehigh.apparmor.com
    archived copy
  2. Official
    Lehigh HawkWatch CAP — UPDATE Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle
    lehigh.apparmor.com
    archived copy
  3. Official
    Lehigh HawkWatch CAP — Projectiles Discharged from a Vehicle
    lehigh.apparmor.com
    archived copy
  4. Student Paper
    Projectiles discharged from moving vehicle near campus, timely warning issued (The Brown and White)
    thebrownandwhite.com
    archived copy
  5. Official
    HawkWatch Alert Log (Lehigh University Police Department)
    police.lehigh.edu
    archived copy
  6. Official
    Clery Act Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications (Lehigh Campus Safety Division)
    campussafety.lehigh.edu
    archived copy
  7. wikipedia
    Lehigh University (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Lehigh University: Assault, April 17, 2025." Incident of April 17, 2025. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/lehigh-university-projectiles-from-vehicle-2025-04-17/

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

Tags
drive-bybb-guntimely-warningpatriot-leagueprivate-r1pennsylvaniabethlehemhawkwatchrapid-response
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion