MCLA officials and police are seeking the individual who called in a bomb threat that forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people on Monday morning.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A 21-year-old North Adams man has been charged in
Monday's bomb threat that caused a mass evacuation at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
Jarrett Ferriter, whose address was given as the college's Berkshire Towers dormitory on Church Street, was arraigned in Northern Berkshire District Court on Tuesday morning.
He had not-guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of willful communication of a bomb threat and willful and malicious communication of false information to a public safety department.
Judge Michael Ripps released Ferriter on $1,000 bail on the condition he abide by a 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. curfew and stay away from the college campus until further notice from MCLA officials.
The case is due back in court for a bind-over hearing on Nov. 17.
Ferriter was listed last year in the college's student leadership recognition program. He was set to graduate in the spring but it was not clear if he was still a student at the college.
The investigation was conducted by state police detectives assigned to the district attorney's office, MCLA police, North Adams Police, state troopers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and members of the Berkshire County Law Enforcement Task Force.
Update 3:05 p.m., Oct. 6: NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Police are investigating a bomb threat that forced the evacuation of 1,500 people from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Monday morning.
Classes resumed 2 p.m. after police swept the buildings for two alleged bombs the male caller said were set to go off at 10:30 a.m.
North Adams Police Director Michael Cozzaglio said the caller called 911 and told the dispatcher "There are two bombs on campus and they are going to go off at 10:30. Good luck."
James Stakenas, vice president administration and finance at MCLA, said the campus was emptied by 10:30 a.m.
The call, which came in at about 9:43 a.m., is believed to have originated in an area called "the greenhouse" at the Townhouse dormitories on Ashland Street. It is a publicly accessible area but probably more familiar to college students, said Stakenas.
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"We want to let students know .. this is a crime. We're going to stay on this until we find who started this," Stakenas said. "And make the statement it's important for their education to be in class. This was a waste of everybody's time, money and effort. Yet at the same time, we were able to keep everybody safe."
Both men, speaking with the press at North Adams Ambulance Service, where a debrief was set to be held by college and emergency services officials, said the investigation was active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact North Adams Police at 413-664-4944.
Cozzaglio declined to speculate on motives because of the ongoing investigation, other than to say "we're exploring all of those avenues right now." He did say it was not believed to be linked in anyway with a bomb threat in April 2013 at the college, which also led to a mass evacuation. In that case, the threat was limited to a specific building.
The perpetrator was apprehended but was determined to have mental health issues, said Cozzaglio.
No charges were filed in that instance, but he said calling in a hoax like that would be a felony.
Last April's evacuation was somewhat chaotic, with students unsure where to go. This time, things went more smoothly, Stakenas said, probably because of the students and staff were more familiar with where they needed to go.
The college community was informed of the threat and told to evacuate by text about 10:13. They were held off campus for about three hours. State police, campus police, NAPD and North Adams Ambulance Service responded; North Adams Fire Department was initially on scene.
"We acted efficiently and judiciously. I think because some of the students had been through the previous bomb scare," he said. "It wasn't a question of 'where is the Armory?' ... There was a steady stream of people knowing where to go."
Original post, 11 a.m., Oct. 6: NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts was evacuated Monday morning after a report of bombs on campus.
Around 10:15 a.m. students received a text message that read: "There is a report of a bomb threat on the MCLA campus. All community member evacuate immediately to the Armory located on Ashland Street."
Officials said a call came into North Adams Police at about 9:43 a.m. claiming there were multiple bombs on campus. Police notified state police and college officials, who made the decision to evacuate.
"We got a 911 call at dispatch stating that there were bombs — plural — on campus, and then hang up," said North Adams Police Lt. David Sacco.
He said North Adams police assisted with the evacuation at the Armory, closing streets around the college and other support. The college was expected to release a statement Monday afternoon. has planned a press briefing at 1:30.
The campus remained closed as of noon but official expected campus to re-open by 12:45 p.m.
Another text message to students around 11:40 a.m. asked them to continue to stay away. Shortly before noon, college officials advised commuting students to leave for the day. However, because many of the cars were inside the perimeter still shut down, the perimeter ended up being breached and students were back on campus before officials wanted them to be there, according to scanner reports around noon.
North Adams Police assisted MCLA personnel in ushering students into the Armory. Students' backpacks were being checked as they entered and some backpacks were being left outside. As of 11 a.m. there were 1,500 people inside the building. Officials were trying to send refreshments to the people inside.
State Police are also on the scene, as is North Adams Ambulance. North Adams Fire had left the scene. A command center has been set up at the Landmark Credit Union on Ashland Street.
The side streets around campus are closed and parts of Porter Street were also evacuated, but Ashland Street is open to traffic, as is Church Street.
Officials were hoping to clear the campus center first before sweeping the rest of campus.
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