Campus Alert Archive
SUNY New Paltz

NYSIC Confirms Mass Email a 'Swatting Bomb Threat' Sent to 300+ Colleges

NYbomb threatadvisorymedium 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 March 13, 2024, SUNY New Paltz was among more than 200 colleges to receive an emailed bomb threat that the New York State Intelligence Center (NYSIC) later classified as a 'swatting bomb threat'. NPalert pushed an initial 10:05 a.m. text to the campus community describing 'a suspicious email from an unknown individual,' followed by a pre-3:00 p.m. update confirming the email was a noncredible swatting attempt sent to more than 300 institutions.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
State University of New York at New Paltz
Public Masters · NY
~7,300 studentsNPalert
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 reconstruction336 chars
NPalert: SUNY New Paltz is aware of a suspicious email from an unknown individual that was received by some members of the campus community. University Police are working with state and federal authorities to investigate. There is no specific threat to campus at this time. Continue normal activities and report any suspicious activity.

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

Reconstructed from New Paltz Oracle coverage indicating the 10:05 AM EDT text alert described 'a suspicious email from an unknown individual'
The phrasing notably avoids the word 'bomb threat' in the initial communication, opting for 'suspicious email' to avoid panic before the threat could be evaluated
Sent to more than 300 colleges nationwide as part of a coordinated swatting wave
UPDATESMS+4h 50m
Approximate reconstruction328 chars
NPalert: The New York State Intelligence Center (NYSIC) has confirmed the suspicious email received this morning was a 'swatting bomb threat' sent to more than 300 colleges and universities. NYSIC currently has no information suggesting these are credible threats. Normal campus operations continue. Thank you for your patience.

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

Reconstructed from New Paltz Oracle reporting that just before 3:00 PM EDT, NPalert pushed an update confirming NYSIC's classification of the email as a 'swatting bomb threat'
The classification 'swatting bomb threat' is notable terminology — formally distinguishing the email-based mass-bombing threat from telephonic swatting that triggers SWAT responses
More than 300 colleges and universities nationwide received the same email, with no devices found at any of them
Context

Background

On the morning of March 13, 2024, more than 300 US colleges and universities received an emailed bomb threat from a single unknown sender — a coordinated swatting wave that cycled through campus alert systems coast to coast. SUNY New Paltz pushed its first NPalert at 10:05 AM EDT, describing the message only as a 'suspicious email,' then issued a follow-up just before 3:00 PM EDT after the New York State Intelligence Center classified the email as a 'swatting bomb threat' with no credible information of an actual device. The episode exemplifies a broader pattern of mass-email bomb-threat campaigns targeting US higher education, and SUNY New Paltz's measured framing — 'suspicious email' first, 'swatting bomb threat' second — illustrates how Clery emergency-notification language can shift as state intelligence agencies validate or dismiss a threat in real time.
Outcome
Investigation by University Police, the New York State Intelligence Center, and federal authorities determined the email was a noncredible 'swatting bomb threat' sent to more than 300 colleges and universities. No device was located and no campus disruption beyond the initial alerts.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    DEC Office in New Paltz Receives Bomb Threat (The New Paltz Oracle)
    oracle.newpaltz.edu
  2. News
    Violent Threats Sent to Hundreds of New York College Students (WRRV)
    wrrv.com
  3. Official
    SUNY New Paltz Emergency Notification System (NPalert)
    newpaltz.edu
  4. Official
    Office of Emergency Management (SUNY New Paltz)
    newpaltz.edu
Tags
bomb-threatswattinghoaxmass-emailnysicsunynew-yorkpublic-mastersnpalertmarch-2024-waveHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion