Campus Alert Archive
Utah

Caller Claims Stabbing and AR-15 at Kahlert Village, Triggering Room-by-Room Dorm Search

UTswattingemergency 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 November 12, 2025, a caller identifying himself as 'Jonathan Smith' told Salt Lake City Police he had stabbed his girlfriend 20 times and had an assault rifle at Kahlert Village, a freshman dormitory at the University of Utah. Police evacuated and searched the building room by room, finding no victim or threat. The incident was classified as a swatting hoax.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of Utah
Public R1 · UT
~35,000 studentsCampus Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 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 ALERTPush
Approximate reconstruction155 chars
U of U CAMPUS ALERT: Police are responding to a report at Kahlert Village. Students in the area should shelter in place. Avoid the area. Updates to follow.

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

University Police received notice from Salt Lake City Police Department at 7:31 PM MST on November 12, 2025
The SLCPD had received the call on a non-emergency administrative line, not 911
Students in Kahlert Village were moved to surrounding buildings while the building was searched
ALL CLEARPush
Verified verbatimDaily Utah Chronicle quoting the official U of U safety alert text108 chars
Swatting incident at Kahlert Village was not a credible threat. More info in email and at trusted link below
Sent at 9:48 PM MST on November 12, 2025 — about 41 minutes after Police Chief Carver and President Randall confirmed swatting at a 9:07 PM press conference
Notably terse for a campus-wide alert resolving a multi-hour shelter-in-place — students later criticized the lag between resolution and notification
The 'trusted link below' refers to the @theU campus communications page where a fuller explanation followed
Context

Background

On the evening of November 12, 2025, Salt Lake City Police received a call on their non-emergency administrative line from someone who identified himself as 'Jonathan Smith.' The caller claimed he had stabbed his girlfriend 20 times and possessed an assault rifle, threatening to 'shoot up the school' if police did not respond within 20 minutes. University of Utah Police received notice from SLCPD at 7:31 PM MST. Officers responded to Kahlert Village, a freshman dormitory at 265 South 1850 East, and evacuated students to surrounding buildings where they sheltered in place. A large search team conducted a floor-by-floor, room-by-room sweep of the building and found nothing suspicious. The caller had used a computer-based system to make the call difficult to trace, but investigators planned to use technology from other agencies, including the FBI, to identify the suspect. Students were allowed back into their dorms that evening. Unlike the August 2025 Purgatory wave that targeted campus libraries, this incident targeted a residence hall with a more elaborate false narrative.
Analysis

Key Findings

The caller used a non-emergency line and a computer-based system to disguise the call's origin, making it harder to trace
Unlike most Purgatory-wave calls that targeted libraries, this incident targeted a freshman dormitory with an elaborate false stabbing narrative
Police conducted a full room-by-room search of the residential building before clearing the incident
Outcome
A systematic floor-by-floor, room-by-room search found no victim, no suspect, and no credible threat. Students were allowed to return to their dorms that evening. The caller used a computer-based system to make the call difficult to trace.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Swatting incident at University of Utah dorm causes students to shelter in place (ABC4)
    abc4.com
  2. Official
    Campus Alert: Swatting incident at Kahlert Village not a credible threat (@theU)
    attheu.utah.edu
  3. News
    Hoax threat targeting UofU dorm triggers major response before search clears building (KUTV)
    kutv.com
  4. News
    Heavy police presence at University of Utah dormitory after 'swatting' incident (Fox 13)
    fox13now.com
  5. Student Paper
    Police say reported stabbing at KV is a 'swatting incident' (Daily Utah Chronicle)
    dailyutahchronicle.com
Tags
swattingdorm-targetedutahkahlert-villageelaborate-hoaxroom-by-room-searchfbi-investigationcomputer-spoofed-callHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion