Mercy College evacuated its Manhattan campus on Wednesday after the school received a bomb threat that turned out to be unfounded, police said.
A call came in to the NYPD shortly before 5 p.m. informing them that the school, located at 66 W. 35th St., had received a letter threatening that a bomb was going to go off in the building, a law enforcement source said.
The building was searched by police and deemed safe just before 7 p.m., the NYPD said.
Shortly after receiving the letter, Mercy College posted to its social media accounts that officials were monitoring an “ongoing situation” and canceled classes for the remainder of the evening. A security guard put up a sign in the lobby of the building advising students that classes were canceled.
“For those of you at our Manhattan Campus, we ask that you gather your belongings and leave the building quickly and calmly,” the college said on its Facebook page. “Please refrain from using your cell phones until you are out of the building.”
Police did not block off West 35th Street during the investigation, but several officers were posted in the building’s lobby, keeping students from getting inside, until the building was cleared.
Stephanie Rudolf, 27, of the Upper West Side, said she didn’t see the email from Mercy College that classes were canceled until she got to the school.
“It’s definitely nerve-racking,” she said.
Classes resumed Thursday morning, the college said.
Founded in 1950, Mercy College’s main campus is located in Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County. It has satellite campuses in Manhattan, the Bronx, Yorktown Heights, and offers classes online.
The school’s Manhattan campus includes 22 classrooms, a student lounge, learning center, library, computer lab and a strategic consulting institute, according to Mercy College’s website.
With Ivan Pereira
