Bomb Threats Reported In Chicago Area

CHICAGO — Multiple bomb threats have been reported in the Chicago area Thursday, authorities said. Bomb threats have been surfacing nationwide in what several police departments have called a hoax.

A bomb threat was reported at Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora in the early afternoon, police said. Bomb threats were sent to several other locations in Aurora between 12:40 and 1:15 p.m., including Earth Movers Credit Union and City Hall, police said.

Another threat was emailed to a South Elgin business in the 500 block of Division Drive, South Elgin police said. The email told the company to send $20,000 to a bitcoin account by the end of the business day in order to avoid detonation of a bomb hidden in the building, police said.

Another bomb threat was emailed to an employee at a building in the 300 block of Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago, NBC reported.

Other Chicago-area threats have been reported on social media, but have not been immediately confirmed.

"Threats in Chicago are part of a similar pattern being made nationwide," Chicago Police Department spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a tweet. "#ChicagoPolice are working with federal partners on the investigation, and at this time there is no elevated threat level for the city of Chicago."

Bomb threats have also been emailed to businesses in Massachusetts, Orlando, Oklahoma, San Diego, San Francisco and Fort Lauderdale, according to multiple reports.

Emails have been sent across the country, stating that there is a bomb hidden in the building and instructs recipients to send a large sum of money to a bitcoin account by the end of the business day in order to avoid detonation, authorities said.

"We are aware of the recent bomb threats made in cities around the country, and we remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance," the FBI said in a statement. "As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety."

A bomb threat was reported at Columbine High School in Colorado, but the threat turned out to be unfounded, police said.

Another bomb threat was reported at a school in New York City, NBC reported.

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