SUNY Erie Community College’s City Campus was placed on a several-hour lockdown Friday morning, May 1, 2026, after an anonymous caller claimed an armed individual was inside the building. Buffalo Police conducted a full sweep of the premises and confirmed that no gunman or firearm was located on the site.
Authorities from the Buffalo Police Department arrived at the campus at 10:24 a.m. following the report. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz instructed the public to avoid the downtown area while officers secured the facility, and the college subsequently canceled all classes for the remainder of the day across its various campuses.
College administrators provided a detailed account of the emergency response during a media briefing held on Friday afternoon. SUNY Erie President Dr. Adiam Tsegai explained that the threat originated from a specific call placed to the school’s central switchboard.
“Early this morning, a phone call was received at the SUNY Erie City Campus switchboard claiming that a person with a gun was seen on the fifth floor of the post office building,” said Dr. Adiam Tsegai, SUNY Erie President.
Following the report, security protocols were immediately enacted to ensure the safety of students and staff present during the morning sessions.
“Our security team immediately issued an alert to lock down the campus and have all students and faculty and staff shelter in place. Law enforcement units arrived within minutes and began sweeping the building, escorting anyone sheltering in place to exit safely off campus,” said Dr. Adiam Tsegai, SUNY Erie President.
College officials emphasized that the institution is coordinating with law enforcement to provide mental health resources to the campus community. Tsegai noted that the day had been challenging for those involved.
“This was a difficult day,” said Dr. Adiam Tsegai, SUNY Erie President.
The President encouraged members of the faculty and student body to utilize available counseling services to process the events of the morning.
“The college was able to provide on site support services and would encourage anyone who needs further support to contact EAP Child and Family Services for employers at 716-681-4300. And for our students, Crisis Services at 716-834-3131,” said Dr. Adiam Tsegai, SUNY Erie President.
John Reinholz, the SUNY Erie Associate Vice President of Campus Safety and Security, addressed the suspicious nature of the initial report. He confirmed that the caller remained anonymous and failed to respond to follow-up attempts by security personnel.
“We recently received information from UPD (University Police Department) out of Albany about swatting calls, and it’s something that has happened at other schools,” said John Reinholz, Associate Vice President of Campus Safety and Security.
While noting the trend of hoax calls at other educational institutions, Reinholz clarified that the college is awaiting the results of the official police investigation before labeling the incident.
“We are in tune with that. We’re aware of that, but we still don’t know. We we can’t jump to that conclusion. And again, I’d be getting ahead of them to say that, but we don’t have any evidence that there was anybody with a firearm,” said John Reinholz, Associate Vice President of Campus Safety and Security.
Reinholz also noted that the campus surveillance system played a critical role in helping security and police verify that no armed threat was present in the building during the sweep. Buffalo Police are currently leading the ongoing investigation into the source of the phone call.
