University Park, PA (WJAC) — Authorities in Centre County say a Penn State student is facing charges after he allegedly posted a bomb threat on the social media app Yik Yak.
Police say Henry Hyduke, 20, of Fair Haven, New Jersey, faces one misdemeanor count of making terroristic threats to cause a serious public inconvenience, according to online court records.
Investigators say on August 24, the FBI National Threat Operations Center was notified bomb threat posted on the social media platform Yik Yak.
Yik Yak is an app that "allows users to create and view discussion threads within a 5-mile radius of each other," and the posts are made anonymously.
According to the affidavit, the post test stated, "ROTC bombing downtown state college tonight. Stay safe."
Upon further investigation, authorities say Yik Yak was able to identify the source user's GPS location and phone number, which was traced back to Hyduke, who is enrolled at Penn State's University Park campus and lives in the Simmons Hall dormitory.
Authorities say University police located Hyduke and questioned him about the post, which he admitted to making.
According to the complaint, police say Hyduke "denied being involved with the ROTC program and did not intend to cause a mass casualty event on campus or within the downtown area."
Police say Hyduke further explained that he was "trying to make a comedic message."
Authorities say Hyduke was "apologetic" about making the post and reportedly acknowledged that the post could have caused fear or concern for others.
In response to the investigation, the university provided the following statement:
On August 24, Penn State Police received a report of bomb threat made on Yik Yak against downtown State College. Police quickly identified the student who allegedly made the threat, made in-person contact and determined there was no legitimate threat to the community. Penn State police urge community members to report any suspicious activity they observe — including on social media — to police by calling 814-863-1111 or dialing 911 in an emergency. To report a crime or suspicious activities online, visit https://www.police.psu.edu/report-crime.ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7y6iamqRfpbyttcKeZKmrpWLAtcHDnqWtZZOdrrOzxJ1kn6eiYq6tuMSgnJ2kqWK9sL%2FToqWgZZKkuqN506GpnpmkYryvedKomqKZnGK6prDImmSaqKA%3D