Hoax swatting calls bring police, lockdowns to schools throughout Pennsylvania. What we know

Police have responded to fake calls of shootings at schools and other threats in nearly a dozen communities in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, prompting significant law enforcement presence and lockdowns throughout the state.

The fake calls, known as "swatting," are when hoax reports are made to prompt a large police response, causing chaos and concern for schools, parents and first responders.

The Pennsylvania State Police is investigating a series of phone calls made to 911 centers about schools across the state, involving threats of an active shooter situation or bomb threat.

"These phone calls were made to several schools in different counties. All calls have had similar content. All calls are being thoroughly investigated and responded to by law enforcement," the state police said.

These incidents come days after a shooter killed six people at a school in Nashville. Three students and three adults were killed in the shooting Monday. There have been similar swatting incidents in other parts of the country this week and after other mass school shootings last year.

More than two dozen Massachusetts schools received hoax school shooter calls Tuesday. The fake calls prompted police response and lockdowns.

What is swatting?

Swatting is when a hoax call is made to law enforcement to intentionally cause a large response from emergency personnel. It can be targeted at a specific individual or something specific. Often, those who facilitate swatting hoaxes use technology to make it appear as if the call is coming from a victim’s phone.

It may also be done to random targets in waves. They are often done to disrupt school or cause fear.

Where have threats been reported at schools in Pennsylvania?

State police responded to Catasauqua High School in Allen Township, Northampton County, on Wednesday morning for a report of an active shooter, according to a state police news release.

A student had reported to have been shot at the school, the release states. Troopers responded within minutes, cleared the school, and determined there was no shooter. Troopers will have a visible presence at schools in the region for the remainder of the school year, according to the release.

In Allentown, Lehigh County, police responded to William Allen High School around 7:45 a.m. Wednesday for a similar report. Police investigated and found the call was not credible.

Dispatchers at Cambria County's 911 Center fielded a "non-credible threat" to one of its schools, and sent local police to the school, which Art Martynuska, executive director of Cambria County's Emergency Management Agency, declined to name.

His office was in the process of notifying all schools and colleges in the county that they could go into a "stand-down position and resume normal operations" after being locked down, he said. The county's SWAT team was placed on alert but was not sent to the school, per protocol.

"We had been notified earlier in the week from some of our intelligence resources that this was happening in other areas of the country," Martynuska said.

"Obviously, it's in the forefront of everybody's mind," he added. "We take these things very seriously, and that's why we train and we prepare. Not that you can ever be prepared for this type of eventuality in its entirety, but you can handle it with the best resources that you have."

Oakland Catholic, Central Catholic cleared; parents in tears

Oakland Catholic and Central Catholic, both high schools in Pittsburgh, have been cleared and authorities said there was no evidence of active shooters.

Police also responded to Hopewell High School in Aliquippa for a report of an active shooter. The scene was chaotic as parents arrived, some in tears.

Swatting incident at Erie High School

Two calls to emergency services about a reported shooting at Erie High School sent a legion of city police officers racing Wednesday morning to the high school on Cherry Street.

The reports of a shooting turned out to be bogus and were likely part of a bigger “swatting” hoax in which other school districts across the state were targeted, Erie Police Chief Dan Spizarny said.

One of the calls was made from inside the school building, and police have identified the caller and will be questioning that person, Spizarny said late Wednesday morning.

The first calls of a reported shooting at Erie High were received at 10:46 a.m. Wednesday, according to Erie County 911. The Erie School District put the high school on a hard lockdown after the shooting was reported, the district reported on its Facebook page.

What is swatting:Schools across US hit with dozens of false shooting, bomb threats. Experts say it's a 'cruel hoax'

Beaver County schools respond to swatting, residents scramble for info

Hopewell and New Castle high schools were among many Pennsylvania schools targeted by fake active shooter “swatting” calls Wednesday morning.

Hopewell placed all staff and students on lockdown around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday as law enforcement responded. Police were seen inside and outside the school. Those reports were found to be false, with multiple other Pennsylvania schools reporting similar unfounded threats.

New Castle City Police Department received a call from a “male threatening to shoot up New Castle High School” around the same time Hopewell responded to the threats but, upon further investigation, found many other schools received fake threats involving active shooters or potential bombs. New Castle High was immediately put on lockdown following the threats, with police officers clearing the school within minutes, officers said.

New Castle’s lockdown has since been lifted.

“As a precaution, we will maintain a high police presence at our schools,” New Castle Police Department officials said. “We will continue working with our state and federal partners to investigate the origin of these calls.”

Beaver County residents scrambled for information after hearing reports of an “active shooter” and “six potentially wounded” on police scanners Wednesday morning, frantically calling family members inside the building. On Facebook, people urged one another to “check on your loved ones.”

At least two nearby school districts, Rochester and Aliquippa, went on lockdown as police investigated the threats at Hopewell.

Multiple schools in Blair County also were locked down, then released. Bellefonte Area School District in Centre County was evacuated and searched.

The University of Pittsburgh was locked down for a brief period of time. State police in Uniontown responded to a hoax call about an active shooter at Laurel Highland High School in Uniontown, Fayette County.

In New Jersey, police responded to a similar call at Phillipsburg High School in Warren County, according to a WFMZ report.

Bucks County spokesman James O’Malley said Bucks County 911 was not aware of any of these types of incidents being reported to 911 in the county Wednesday.

What are PA police saying about the swatting incidents?

Local, state and federal law enforcement believe a computer-generated call is behind the threats.

In a statement, Pennsylvania State Police said it's investigating a series of phone calls with "similar content" made to 911 centers. The calls warned of active shooter situations or bomb threats at schools, which forced some districts into lockdowns and/or to evacuate.

"At this time, all claims in these calls have been determined to be false. All schools involved have been cleared or are in the process of being cleared by law enforcement," state police said.

Swatting in Massachusetts:Swatting incidents reported at several schools in MetroWest, Greater Milford

The FBI in the Pittsburgh region released the following statement Wednesday morning:

“FBI Pittsburgh is aware of the numerous swatting incidents wherein a report of an active shooter at a school is made. The FBI takes swatting very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.”

Allegheny 911 said three calls regarding three schools were made and all were false, according to a KDKA report.

Check back later for updates.

Reporters Matthew Rink, Tim Hahn, Garret Roberts and Chrissy Suttles contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Swatting calls about active shooter in PA schools prompt police response