Campus Alert Archive
York College

Two Queens Colleges, One Threat Email: York College Locks Down as CUNY Campuses Scramble to Evacuate

NYbomb 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.

On February 22, 2024, York College in Jamaica, Queens, was placed on lockdown after receiving a bomb threat via email at approximately 12:48 PM EST. The threat specifically mentioned the Academic Core Building. Police from the 103rd Precinct evacuated the campus and conducted a building sweep, finding no explosive devices. Queens College received an identical threat at the same time.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
York College, City University of New York
Public Bachelors · NY
~8,000 studentsCUNY Alert
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 ALERTPush
Approximate reconstruction223 chars
YORK COLLEGE ALERT: Bomb threat received. The campus is on lockdown. Leave campus buildings immediately. All classes will be held remotely for the remainder of the afternoon. The library and all campus buildings are closed.

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

Reconstructed from QNS and amNewYork reporting
The bomb threat email was received at approximately 12:48 PM and specifically mentioned the Academic Core Building at 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd
Queens College in Kew Gardens Hills received an identical email at the same time
ALL CLEARPush
Approximate reconstruction185 chars
YORK COLLEGE ALERT: All clear. The NYPD has completed their search and found no threats. Classes will resume in person tomorrow. Thank you for your cooperation during today's emergency.

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

Reconstructed from QNS and Fox 5 New York reporting
The NYPD 103rd Precinct handled the investigation at York College
In-person classes resumed the following day, Friday, February 23
Context

Background

On the afternoon of February 22, 2024, two CUNY colleges in Queens were thrust into chaos when both York College and Queens College received bomb threats via email from an unknown sender at approximately 12:48 PM. The threat to York College specifically mentioned the Academic Core Building at 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd in Jamaica. Police from the 103rd Precinct rushed to the scene and evacuated the campus, while NYPD conducted a sweep of the buildings looking for suspicious packages. All classes went remote at 1:15 PM. Queens College was similarly evacuated and searched. No explosive devices were found at either campus, and classes resumed in person the following day. The incident raised concerns about the vulnerability of urban commuter campuses and the CUNY system's ability to coordinate rapid evacuations across multiple institutions.
Analysis

Key Findings

The simultaneous targeting of two CUNY campuses in the same borough suggests a sender with knowledge of the Queens college landscape
The rapid switch to remote learning at 1:15 PM was possible because CUNY already had remote infrastructure from the pandemic era
The incident exposed concerns about CUNY's ability to coordinate evacuations across its multi-campus system
Outcome
No explosive devices were found at either campus. The NYPD provided an all-clear for both York College and Queens College. Classes at York College went remote at 1:15 PM and resumed in person the following day.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Bomb threat forces lockdown at York College and Queens College (QNS)
    qns.com
  2. News
    NYPD investigating after bomb threat forces lockdown at York College and Queens College (amNewYork)
    amny.com
  3. News
    Bomb threats force campus shutdowns at Queens College, York College (Fox 5 New York)
    fox5ny.com
  4. News
    2 CUNY campuses in Queens evacuated due to bomb threat (Gothamist)
    gothamist.com
Tags
bomb-threatunfoundednew-yorkcunyqueenscoordinated-threaturban-campuscommuter-campusUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion