Ziheng “Tony” Fang was arrested in May on a federal charge of false information and hoaxes after authorities said he vandalized multiple campus buildings and public spaces with hateful and threatening messages. The 30-year-old Fang made his initial court appearance on Friday and was scheduled to appear on Monday for the identification of counsel, although the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California did not confirm whether the proceeding was held as scheduled.
As alleged in the criminal complaint, between October 2024 and May 2026, SJSU’s Police Department recorded more than 20 instances of hateful messages in men’s and gender-neutral restrooms around the SJSU campus. Many of these messages included threats specifying a particular date that an attack was allegedly intended to take place, as well as the weapons and methods that would be used, including mass bombings and shootings.