Suspect charged in swatting incident at Villanova University in August
Charges were filed against a juvenile accused of making hoax calls that led to active shooter alerts at Villanova University and other schools last year.
On Thursday, April 30, 2026, United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that a juvenile had been charged with making swatting calls aimed at Villanova and other universities in Pennsylvania in August 2025.
Swatting is a hoax call made to emergency services that typically report an immediate threat. Swatting is illegal in Pennsylvania as state law covers fake reports of fire or emergencies related to life or property.
Investigators said the suspect – who they are not identifying due to them being underage – was a self-identified member of the online cybercriminal group “Purgatory,” which took responsibility for the Villanova incident. Investigators said the suspect chose the targeted universities at random and has no affiliation with any of the schools.
Villanova University swatting incident
On Aug. 21, 2025, at 4:33 p.m., Delaware County’s Department of Emergency Services received a call claiming a man armed with an AR-15-style weapon was firing shots on Villanova’s campus located on 800 Lancaster Avenue in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
Officials said they heard “gunshot-like sounds” in the background during the call.
A minute later, at 4:34 p.m., Villanova University issued an active shooter alert, urging people on campus to move to a secure location. Videos posted on social media showed students, parents and staff running for safety with some finding shelter in closets, classrooms and nearby homes.
Officials received another call reporting a gunshot wound at 5:06 p.m.
At the same time, a lockdown was placed on campus as officers from nearly every law enforcement department in the area as well as 18 EMS units responded to the school. Officials also established an Emergency Operations Center.
The shelter-in-place order was then lifted at 6:32 p.m. that evening, after investigators determined the report was fake.
The incident was one of two swatting incidents aimed at a college campus that day. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga received an alert about a possible active shooter on campus. Officials later determined the report was false.
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