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Swatting

Schools
Swatting Group ‘Purgatory’ Linked To 10+ Hoax Active Shooter Calls As FBI Charges Suspect Swatting Group ‘Purgatory’ Linked To 10+ Hoax Active Shooter Calls As FBI Charges Suspect
Swatting Group ‘Purgatory’ Linked To 10+ Hoax Active Shooter Calls As FBI Charges Suspect A swatting group calling itself Purgatory is believed to be behind more than 10 hoax active shooter reports that triggered lockdowns at universities nationwide — and now, federal prosecutors have filed charges against a suspect tied to the spree, officials announced Thursday, April 30. Villanova At The Center The wave of hoaxes began on Aug. 21 at Villanova University, where families and new students attending orientation Mass were sent scrambling after an alert warned of an “ACTIVE SHOOTER” on campus. Students and parents barricaded doors and hid as heavily armed officers flooded the Main L…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Swatting Hoax Prompts Heavy Police Response In NY Neighborhood Swatting Hoax Prompts Heavy Police Response In NY Neighborhood
Swatting Hoax Prompts Heavy Police Response In NY Neighborhood A false report of gunfire brought police to a Rockland County neighborhood on Monday, Aug. 25, but investigators later confirmed the call was a swatting hoax, authorities announced.   Officers rushed to Tamar Drive in Valley Cottage earlier on Monday after receiving a report of shots fired, the Clarkstown Police Department said at noon. After investigating, police determined there was no threat to the public and that the call was a deliberate hoax. The case has now been turned over to the Detective Bureau, which will work to track down whoever placed the call. "Officers will thoroughly in…

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Second Hoax At Villanova University Sparks Police Response Ahead Of Classes Second Hoax At Villanova University Sparks Police Response Ahead Of Classes
Second Hoax At Villanova University Sparks Police Response Ahead Of Classes Villanova University faced a second false emergency report involving a weapon on campus Sunday, Aug. 24, one day before classes were scheduled to begin, Radnor Township Police confirmed. Officers were called to Austin Hall after a report of a possible threat, but police later confirmed the call was unfounded. Law enforcement searched the building, cleared the scene, and worked to restore normal operations. The investigation into the hoax is ongoing. The incident comes just three days after a fake active shooter report at Villanova’s law school sent the campus into chaos during orientation a…

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by Jillian Pikora
Schools
Swatting Threat Triggers Emergency Response At School In Dutchess County Swatting Threat Triggers Emergency Response At School In Dutchess County
Swatting Threat Triggers Emergency Response At School In Dutchess County A false phone threat forced a lockdown at a Dutchess County boarding school, prompting a rapid response from police and school officials. The incident happened around 1:25 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, when the Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling received a threatening phone call shortly after being notified of a similar threat by the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office, Head of School William Taylor said.  Within minutes, the campus was placed under protective protocols, and all students, staff, faculty, and family members were secured safely, according to Taylor. Law enforcement from both th…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Teen Admits To Making Bomb, Shooting Hoax Calls Across US: DOJ Teen Admits To Making Bomb, Shooting Hoax Calls Across US: DOJ
Teen Admits To Making Bomb, Shooting Hoax Calls Across US: DOJ A 19-year-old from Maryland who helped run an online “Purgatory” group behind a wave of terrifying swatting calls—targeting schools, airports, casinos, and homes—has pleaded guilty in federal court, authorities announced. Owen Jarboe, of Hagerstown, admitted to conspiracy, cyberstalking, and making interstate threats involving fire and explosives between December 2023 and Jan. 18, 2024, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said that Jarboe and his co-conspirators used Telegram, Instagram, and shared spoofing scripts to mask their identities while triggering police responses to…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Swatting Incident: Fishkill Man's Prank Shooting Report Prompts Response, Cops Say Swatting Incident: Fishkill Man's Prank Shooting Report Prompts Response, Cops Say
Swatting Incident: Fishkill Man's Prank Shooting Report Prompts Response, Cops Say A 41-year-old man is facing felony charges after allegedly reporting a fake shooting as a prank that led to a heavy police response in Dutchess County, authorities said.  Fishkill resident Kieran T. Maddock was arrested on Tuesday, March 18, after investigators determined he was responsible for a “swatting” incident earlier that morning in East Fishkill, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday, March 20.  The chaos began just after 6 a.m., when the Sheriff’s Office and Town of East Fishkill Police rushed to a home in East Fishkill following a 911 report of multi…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Bomb Hoaxer Admits Targeting Jewish Hospitals In NY, Live-Streaming On Social Media Bomb Hoaxer Admits Targeting Jewish Hospitals In NY, Live-Streaming On Social Media
Bomb Hoaxer Admits Targeting Jewish Hospitals In NY, Live-Streaming On Social Media An Oregon man formally confessed to making a series of bomb threats against Jewish hospitals in New York, some of which were live-streamed on social media. Domagoj Patkovic, age 31, of Portland, Oregon, pleaded guilty to conspiring to make bomb threats related offenses in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Patkovic and others called in bomb threats to Jewish hospitals and care centers in New York City and on Long Island beginning in May 2021, according to prosecutors. During the calls, they allegedly made violent threats and threatened to detonate explosive devices. Patkovic hi…

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by Michael Mashburn
Politics
Bomb Threats, Swatting Incidents Target Trump Cabinet Picks, Appointees, Spokesperson Says Bomb Threats, Swatting Incidents Target Trump Cabinet Picks, Appointees, Spokesperson Says
Bomb Threats, Swatting Incidents Target Trump Cabinet Picks, Appointees, Spokesperson Says Several of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet selections and administrative appointees were the targets threats the last two days, a spokesperson said, calling the acts "violent" and "un-American." According to a statement by the Trump-Vance Transition Team on Wednesday, Nov. 27, several individuals associated with the incoming administration were subjected to threats ranging from bomb scares to "swatting" incidents, in which false reports are made to dispatch emergency responders to someone's location. Law enforcement responded swiftly to ensure the safety of those targeted, the team s…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Police Respond To Threat At Danbury Fair Mall Police Respond To Threat At Danbury Fair Mall
Police Respond To Threat At Danbury Fair Mall Police responded to a threat involving a popular mall in Connecticut. It happened late Sunday afternoon, Oct. 6 in Fairfield County at the Danbury Fair Mall. Danbury Police say officers responded to a report of a possible incident at the mall at around 4:30 p.m.  The officers quickly determined that the threat was not credible and there was no danger to the public, according to police.  "This incident remains under investigation as a swatting call," according to Danbury Police. The mall reopened for business as usual. 

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by Joe Lombardi