Two State University of New York campuses, York University and Queen’s University, were forced to evacuate Thursday afternoon after receiving a “credible” bomb threat, according to police and the school.
According to the NYPD, both universities in the Jamaica and Flushing areas received threatening emails around 12:50 p.m.
Police said students were told to evacuate as NYPD emergency services arrived on campus.
No devices were found, and the NYPD cordoned off both schools by 2:30 p.m.
However, both universities still chose to keep students off campus.
All classes at Queen’s College went remote as of 2:45 p.m., according to a notice issued to students and staff.
A spokesperson said: “Queen’s College received a credible threat earlier today.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, the campus community was advised to work remotely and attend classes for the remainder of the day.
“All classes and business services will resume as scheduled tomorrow. We thank the university community for their cooperation.”
Remote classes began at York University at 1:15 p.m., and all campus buildings were closed. According to the website.
Michael Sharp, Professor of Political Science, University of York told the Queen’s Courier He said he didn’t hear anything about the threat until he arrived on campus and saw students leaving.
The exam dates have been changed due to campus closure.
“I’m shocked,” Sharp said.
“I’ve lived here for 16 years and this is the first time something like this has happened.”
On campus, Deputy Inspector Ralph Clement, commander of the 103rd Precinct, told the newspaper that the macabre threats against school officials were made anonymously.
“So we’re taking precautions to make sure it’s not a bomb,” Clement said.
“Those things don’t happen often, but they do happen and we have to deal with them thoroughly, because God forbid it’s real.”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards condemned the threat. In a statement regarding X.
“Threats like this are dangerous and disgusting. We will not stand for this in Queens,” Donovan said.
“My office is monitoring the situation and is grateful to the world-class staff at York College and Queens College and the NYPD for taking action to keep our students safe.”
