Emergency personnel responded to a “suspicious package” found on the afternoon of July 20 on Centennial Campus, but hours later, the State Bureau of Investigation’s bomb squad deemed it a false alarm. 

The package was found in a room at Tower Hall, part of Wolf Ridge, at about 3 p.m. It appeared to be an explosive device but turned out not to be dangerous. During the investigation, it was determined a student had chemicals stored in his room, which is in violation of university policy.

An employee who had authorization to be in the room noticed the device on a shelf, according to University Police Chief Jack Moorman. 

“It was a very realistic-looking device,” Moorman said. “It definitely appeared to be a bomb when you looked at it because it was constructed in such a way that it was designed to have that appearance.” 

Tower Hall, Lakeview Hall and the portion of Engineering Building III closest to Tower Hall were evacuated for safety measures. 

“Anyone that could have been impacted had to be removed from the area,” Moorman said.

Personnel from University Police, NC State Fire Marshal’s Office, Raleigh Police Department, Raleigh Bomb Squad, Wake EMS, Raleigh Fire Department, SBI Bomb Squad, Wake Emergency Management and University Housing were all involved in handling the threat. 

Both the Raleigh Bomb Squad and SBI Bomb Squad are trained by the FBI. 

“There was an army of cops when I arrived,” said Hunter Nance, a senior studying computer science and a resident of Wolf Ridge. “I asked if I could go in, and they said I should hold on a minute.”

Wolf Ridge had not notified their residents about the incident. 

“Any time we’re locked out of our apartments because the bomb squad is there, I think that deserves an explanation,” said Dixon Crews, a senior studying computer science and a resident of Wolf Ridge. 

The person to whom the device belonged could not be named by University Police yet but has received a judicial referral to the Office of Student Conduct. Because there was no identified intent that the device was used to cause panic, no criminal charges have been made. 

“When you have an incident where you think there may be a threat, there is always an air of caution,” Moorman said. “You need the right personnel there. Everyone came together and did a very good job handling the situation.”