Months Of Racist Bomb Threats Found In South Bay College Bathrooms Leads To Student's Arrest: DOJ

The threats disrupted campus operations for months and prompted widespread fear, federal prosecutors said.

By Albert Gregory , Patch Staff

Jul 13, 2026 3:11 pm PDT | Updated Jul 13, 2026 4:32 pm PDT

SAN JOSE, CA — A San Jose State University graduate student was arrested on a federal charge accusing him of posting a series of false bomb threats and hateful messages that disrupted campus operations for months, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

Ziheng "Tony" Fang, 30, of San Jose, made his initial appearance in federal court Friday, officials said. He is charged with false information and hoaxes.

According to a criminal complaint, Fang posted threatening messages in men's and gender-neutral restrooms across the San Jose State campus beginning in October 2024. Many of the messages referenced planned attacks on specific dates and included threats involving bombs, shootings and other violence, along with hate symbols targeting multiple racial and religious groups.

One message discovered on Nov. 5, 2025, warned of a mass bombing the following week. Investigators said Fang's fingerprint was found on the paper containing the message.

Photograph of the message discovered on Nov. 5, 2025. (U.S. Department of Justice)

Federal investigators said San Jose State police documented more than 20 threatening messages between October 2024 and May 2026. Authorities said Fang's university key card records placed him inside buildings shortly before 16 of the messages were discovered, and surveillance video captured him entering or leaving restroom areas where several of the messages were later found.

According to the complaint, the threats prompted repeated emergency alerts from the university and led some professors to cancel in-person classes or move instruction online.

Investigators said campus police received numerous calls from students and employees concerned about their safety, and buildings identified in the threats were largely empty on the specified dates.

Fang, who is pursuing a master's degree in data science at San Jose State, remains in federal custody.

He was scheduled to return to court Monday.

The case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from the San Jose State University Police Department.