NEWS

Mercy College campuses reopen after bomb threat

An 'alarming communication through telephone' was received this afternoon.

Michael D'Onofrio
mcdonofrio@lohud.com
Police news

Mercy College's campuses in Westchester County and two others in New York City were evacuated Tuesday afternoon due to a bomb threat.

The campus in Yorktown Heights received the bomb threat shortly before 3:50 p.m., Yorktown police department said. The threat was "very nonspecific" and indicated that multiple campuses were involved, so the college evacuated its campuses in Dobbs Ferry, the Bronx and Manhattan as well.

​Dobb's Ferry police said the college received an "alarming communication through telephone" around that time.

Police were at the campuses investigating Tuesday afternoon.

"There was a bomb scare and we are checking the building out," a campus security officer said.

A campus-wide alert was issued. The college issued additional alerts on social media, and on its website.

The college canceled all evening classes and activities for the rest of the day, according to the college's official Facebook page.

Catherine Cioffi, director of public relations for the college, said Mercy College will release updates about the threat on its website and declined to comment further.

The college's building in Yorktown Heights was investigated with the help of bomb sniffing dogs from the Westchester County police, Yorktown police said.

Shortly before 7 p.m., Mercy College said on its website that all campuses "have been cleared by law enforcement."

"The threat that closed all four campuses today was found to be unsubstantiated," according to the college's website.

The campuses will reopen on Wednesday as usual.

Check back with lohud.com for updates.

Twitter: @mikedonofrio_