Campus Alert Archive
Regent

Six Hampton Roads Colleges Threatened in 90 Minutes: Regent University Evacuates for Nearly Two Hours

VAbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

Regent University in Virginia Beach received a bomb threat around 11:30 a.m. EDT on July 12, 2022, as part of a coordinated automated-call wave that struck six Hampton Roads colleges and universities within 90 minutes. The campus was evacuated while Virginia Beach police and the bomb squad investigated. An all-clear was issued around 1:10 p.m. EDT after a thorough sweep found no explosives. The same wave targeted Tidewater Community College, Norfolk State University, Virginia Peninsula Community College, Paul D. Camp Community College, and Eastern Shore Community College.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Regent University
Private R2 · VA
~11,000 students
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 reconstruction259 chars
Regent University Alert: A bomb threat has been reported on campus. Please evacuate all buildings immediately and move away from all structures. Virginia Beach Police Department is responding. Do not return until you receive an all-clear. This is not a drill.

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

Regent University received reports of the bomb threat around 11:30 a.m. EDT on July 12, 2022, and issued evacuation orders while authorities investigated
The threat was part of a coordinated automated-call campaign; reports of similar calls at nearby Hampton Roads campuses began arriving around 11:11 a.m. EDT and continued to 1:23 p.m.
Virginia Beach police and a bomb squad unit responded to Regent's campus alongside university security
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction207 chars
Regent University Alert: After a thorough sweep of the campus, the Regent University campus is clear and open. You may return to all campus buildings. Thank you for your cooperation during the investigation.

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

Regent spokesperson Chris Roslan confirmed the all-clear around 1:10 p.m. EDT, approximately 100 minutes after the initial evacuation order
The all-clear covered the entire campus -- no specific building had been isolated, as the threat was nonspecific about location
All six targeted Hampton Roads campuses received all-clears the same afternoon; no explosive devices were found at any institution
Context

Background

Regent University, a private evangelical Christian university in Virginia Beach founded in 1977, was one of six Hampton Roads institutions targeted by a coordinated bomb-threat wave on July 12, 2022. Reports of calls to regional college campuses began at 11:11 a.m. EDT and continued through approximately 1:23 p.m., hitting Regent, Tidewater Community College's Chesapeake campus, Norfolk State University (an HBCU), Virginia Peninsula Community College in Hampton, Paul D. Camp Community College in Franklin, and Eastern Shore Community College in Accomack County. The calls were described as automated and used a similar script across all six institutions. Regent's campus was evacuated from approximately 11:30 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. EDT; spokesman Chris Roslan confirmed the all-clear after a full sweep found no threat. The July 12, 2022 Hampton Roads wave was one of several regional bomb-threat clusters that occurred nationally across July 2022, alongside similar waves in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kansas, Alabama, and Tennessee -- all linked by law enforcement to calls routed through Ethiopian internet infrastructure.
Outcome
Campus evacuated approximately 11:30 a.m. All-clear issued approximately 1:10 p.m. No explosive device found. Five other Hampton Roads campuses received simultaneous threats in the same automated-call wave. No injuries.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    6 Hampton Roads colleges, universities receive bomb threats (13News Now)
    13newsnow.com
  2. News
    Local police investigate bomb threats at multiple colleges in Hampton Roads (WTKR)
    wtkr.com
  3. News
    Regent University police investigate bomb threat (13News Now)
    13newsnow.com
  4. News
    Local colleges get similar bomb threats Tuesday (WAVY)
    wavy.com
Tags
bomb-threatautomated-callcoordinated-threatprivate-r2virginiavirginia-beachsummer-2022hampton-roads-wavemulti-campus-waveoverseas-callerUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion