The Aquatic and Fitness Center was evacuated suddenly and temporarily closed yesterday afternoon, after local 911 operators received a bomb threat to the building.
Responding to the threat, which arrived at 1:42 p.m. and quickly was passed on to University Police, officers rushed to evacuate the building and restrict access to the area, while state troopers and detectives searched the facility with a bomb-sniffing dog.
After thoroughly scouring the premises, police allowed individuals to re-enter the building at approximately 6 p.m. last night.
University Police Sgt. Tom Durrer declined to comment on the details surrounding the phone call and, as of press time, did not disclose any leads in the investigation.
Such incidents "are taken very seriously," regardless of the perceived validity of the threatening call, Durrer said.
During the four-hour shutdown, police blocked off the AFC's Alderman Road parking lot entrances and turned away puzzled students, while ushering onlookers to a safer distance across the street.
Courtney Massaro, a third-year varsity swimmer, arrived at the AFC around 2 p.m. on her way to a routine, Tuesday afternoon practice.
"I walked in through the side door, and the cops didn't see me," Massaro said. "A friend of mine, a diver, was on her way out and told me there was a bomb threat."
In their haste to empty the premises, students and employees in the AFC at the time of the evacuation were forced to abandon their belongings, stranding many without schoolbooks or car keys.
According to onlookers, officers' refusal to release details about the specific nature of the threat created an even more chaotic atmosphere.
"They just simply said, 'coach, we're being asked to evacuate the building,' and that was that," said varsity swimming coach Mark Bernardino, who was turned away from the AFC entrance while on his way to practice.
AFC Supervisor Kisha Jones, who arrived for work around 3 p.m., described a similar experience.
"I caught the bus over here, and the officer just said the AFC was closed," Jones said.
Doak Finch, assistant coach of the varsity swim team, also did not receive an official word from police, gleaning only secondhand information in the form of rumors circulating throughout the growing crowds.
"I haven't heard any official person say there was a bomb threat," Finch said. "We're going to have to wait and see what happens."
Though police would not release specific details about the progress of the case, "the investigation is ongoing," Durrer said.
He also promised tighter security in the area as investigators continue to pursue the case.
"We'll make extra patrols" in addition to the normal, assigned beats, Durrer said. "There will always be an officer fairly close by."
The increased University Police presence will be new for the facility.
"I've been coaching for 26 years and since this place opened in June of 1996," Bernardino said, "I've never seen anything like this before"
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