Atlantic Cape Community College Addresses Threat Against Area College

Atlantic Cape Community College assured its students there is no specific threat to the college Monday morning after information about a threat to an unnamed college in the Philadelphia region emerged over the weekend.

The college posted the following statement on its website Monday morning:

“Atlantic Cape Community College along with other colleges and universities in our region have learned from authorities that a threat of violence has been made to ‘a university near Philadelphia.’

“There is no specific threat to Atlantic Cape. Public Safety and local police have increased patrols on all campuses and will continue to monitor the situation.

“We are encouraging our community to be aware of their surroundings and diligent in reporting any concerns or suspicious activities both on our campuses and on social media sites. Please contact Security or 9-1-1 for any emergency.”

The FBI on Sunday informed all Philadelphia-area colleges of a recent social media post that threatened an act of violence on Monday afternoon at college or institution “near Philadelphia.”

According to published reports, the threat was posted Friday on 4chan, an anonymous message board. Chris Harper-Mercer, the man behind last week’s shooting in Oregon, reportedly used the same site to post a threat before his deadly rampage.

Philly.com obtained a photograph of the threat, which reads:

“This is only the beginning, . . .On October 5, 2015 at 1:00 PM CT, a fellow robot will take up arms against a university near Philadelphia. His cries will be heard, his victims will cower in fear, and the strength of the Union will decay a little more.”

The post shared by Harper-Mercer included an image of a cartoon frog holding a gun, and the threat against the Philadelphia-area college had a similar image, Philly.com reported.

Local law enforcement remains on alert.

Patch Editor Kara Seymour contributed to this report