April 30, 2026
Courtenay Harris-Bond/PhillyVoice
Villanova University responded to a false report of an active shooter on Aug. 21, 2025.
The suspect has not been identified due to their age. But according to U.S. officials, the juvenile called in false information to emergency services concerning institutions in southeastern Pennsylvania and elsewhere in August. These hoax calls, known as swatting, typically involve fabricated bomb threats or reports of an active shooter.
The defendant did not have any ties to the institutions they targeted, federal attorneys said, and selected them at random. The juvenile claims to be part of Purgatory, a decentralized cybercriminal group previously linked to the summer swatting calls.
While officials did not name the colleges the defendant targeted, Villanova locked down on Aug. 21 in response to an active shooter report that turned out to be false. The college made its connection to the federal case clear in an email sent to students and faculty Thursday.
"Federal privacy laws surrounding juvenile offenders prevented the release of this information earlier," wrote David G. Tedjeske, the university's associate vice president of public safety and chief of police. "However, the investigation has now progressed to a point where I can provide additional information.
"The hoax caller from that day has been identified as a juvenile who has no affiliation with Villanova University. Authorities have found no evidence that this individual was ever on campus, or that there were ever plans for an actual attack on the University. This individual is responsible for similar calls made to other colleges and institutions throughout the country."
The college's police worked with the FBI in the federal investigation of this incident. Radnor Township Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police and Upper Merion Police Department were also involved in the case.
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