Campus Alert Archive
NEU

University Employee Stages Fake Bomb Explosion in Lab, Triggering Massive Campus Evacuation

MAbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
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 September 13, 2022, Northeastern University employee Jason Duhaime staged a hoax explosion in the Immersive Media Lab at Holmes Hall on the Boston campus, triggering evacuations of multiple buildings, bomb squad deployments, and campus-wide emergency alerts. Duhaime, 45, called 911 claiming he was injured by sharp objects expelled from a hard plastic case. Investigators later found the case was empty and undamaged, and a word-for-word copy of the threatening letter was found on his computer, created just hours before the incident.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Northeastern University
Private R1 · MA
~22,000 studentsNU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

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
Verified verbatimNU Alert text quoted verbatim in The Huntington News and attributed to the Northeastern University Police Department's Safety Notifications archive108 chars
Emergency services responding to an incident at Holmes Hall. Please avoid the area during the investigation.
Verbatim from the NU Alert message sent at approximately 7:55 PM EDT on September 13, 2022, as reported by The Huntington News and confirmed via the NUPD Safety Notifications archive.
The alert identified 'Holmes Hall' and instructed avoidance 'during the investigation' — conspicuously not calling it an 'explosion,' unlike some media reports; the word 'incident' was used.
Duhaime called 911 at approximately 7:00 PM EDT on September 13, 2022; the first NU Alert arrived approximately 55 minutes later
Multiple subsequent campus-wide alerts were issued throughout the evening as bomb squads responded and buildings were evacuated
UPDATESMS
Verified verbatimNU Alert text quoted verbatim by The Huntington News (Northeastern's student newspaper) in its live coverage of the September 13, 2022 incident134 chars
Evening classes in Behrakis, Shillman, Ryder, Kariotis, Dockser, and West F are canceled due to the ongoing investigation in the area.
Names six specific buildings near Holmes Hall — Behrakis, Shillman, Ryder, Kariotis, Dockser, and West F — whose evening classes were canceled
The message frames the cause as 'the ongoing investigation in the area' rather than an explosion or bomb, consistent with NU Alert's restrained wording throughout the night
Reported by The Huntington News as roughly the third NU Alert of the evening; NEU sent multiple NU Alerts before issuing a fifth around 11:30 PM
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction194 chars
Northeastern Alert: The situation at Holmes Hall has been contained. Buildings are being cleared for re-entry. The investigation is ongoing. If you have information, contact Northeastern Police.

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

Reconstructed from media reports on the conclusion of the evacuation
At the time, the incident was still being treated as a genuine explosion
It was not until October 4, 2022, that the hoax was publicly confirmed with Duhaime's arrest
Context

Background

On the evening of September 13, 2022, Jason Duhaime, the Director of Northeastern University's Immersive Media Lab, called 911 to report that he had been injured by sharp objects expelled from a hard plastic case he opened in the lab at Holmes Hall. The reported explosion triggered a massive emergency response, including evacuations of multiple campus buildings, deployment of two law enforcement bomb squads, and numerous campus-wide alerts. Evening classes in nearby buildings were canceled. However, investigators quickly observed that the case described by Duhaime was empty and undamaged, and neither the case nor the threatening letter showed any indication of exposure to an explosive discharge. A forensic examination of Duhaime's computer revealed a word-for-word electronic copy of the anonymous threat letter, with metadata showing it was created at 2:57 PM and last printed at 4:02 PM EDT on September 13, just hours before he reported the incident. Duhaime was arrested on October 4, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas, and was convicted of conveying false and misleading information related to an explosive device and two counts of making materially false statements. The case highlighted the significant resources consumed by hoax incidents and the disruption they cause to campus communities.
Analysis

Key Findings

The hoax was staged by a university employee, not an outsider, demonstrating that insider threats can be as disruptive as external ones
Forensic evidence on Duhaime's computer revealed he created the threatening letter just hours before staging the incident
The incident triggered a massive multi-agency response including two bomb squads, multiple building evacuations, and class cancellations
Outcome
Jason Duhaime was arrested on October 4, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas. A federal jury convicted him in June 2024 of conveying false and misleading information related to an explosive device and making materially false statements to a federal law enforcement agent. On January 13, 2025, he was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Safety Notifications - Northeastern University's Police Department (NUPD)
    nupd.northeastern.edu
  2. Student Paper
    DEVELOPING STORY: Package reportedly detonates, injures one near Holmes Hall (The Huntington News)
    huntnewsnu.com
  3. Official
    Former Northeastern University employee charged with staging hoax explosion on Boston campus (Northeastern News)
    news.northeastern.edu
  4. Official
    Former Northeastern University Employee Arrested for Staging Hoax Explosion (DOJ)
    justice.gov
  5. News
    Former Northeastern employee arrested and charged with faking a bomb blast on campus (NPR)
    npr.org
  6. News
    Northeastern University package explosion was a hoax carried out by employee (CNN)
    cnn.com
  7. News
    Report of Northeastern University explosion was a hoax, former employee arrested (Axios)
    axios.com
Tags
bomb-threathoaxinsider-threatemployee-perpetratorevacuationmassachusettsprivate-r1federal-chargesHoax
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion