Multiple law enforcement sources tell 5 Investigates that authorities are now looking into whether the Northeastern University employee who reported that a Pelican-style case exploded when he opened it Tuesday night staged the incident.Those sources also told 5 Investigates on Wednesday that there was no explosive material found at the scene inside Holmes Hall and that the employee’s injuries were not consistent with those typically suffered during an explosion.A federal official who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said investigators identified inconsistencies in the employee’s statement and became skeptical.As 5 Investigates reported earlier, sources confirm that a note was found inside that case referencing virtual reality and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The Holmes Hall lab where the incident happened is an “Immersive Media Lab” on Northeastern’s campus that focuses on the exploration of virtual worlds, including virtual reality and augmented reality.In an interview with The Boston Globe, the employee denied staging the explosion, calling the event “very traumatic.” “I did not stage this … No way, shape or form … they need to catch the guy that did this,” he told the newspaper.NewsCenter 5 contacted the employee in a request for a comment, but has not received a reply back.Boston police, the FBI and the ATF are all involved in this investigation. All of the agencies declined official comment, calling this an active investigation. Authorities have said the employee involved, a 45-year-old man, suffered minor injuries. He was not identified. NewsCenter 5 was outside a home in Medford on Wednesday when federal agents arrived. A woman let them inside. The home is listed as a previous residence of the university employee, although neighbors say he hasn’t lived there in years. The current resident is the man’s ex-wife.The woman who lives inside the Medford home told NewsCenter 5 that she did not have any comment on the situation.Boston police said they responded to Holmes Hall, at 39 Leon St., shortly before 7:20 p.m. Tuesday. Boston firefighters also responded to the scene and helped police evacuate some of the buildings on campus, according to Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox.A search revealed a second similar package that was ultimately handled by the Boston Police Department’s bomb squad.In a message posted to its website Wednesday, Northeastern University said its Boston campus is safe.“Events such as the incident that took place on our Boston campus last night can create or heighten anxiety for many of us,” said the post, credited to Provost David Madigan and Chancellor Kenneth Henderson. “We would like to underscore what was communicated to our community last night: Multiple law enforcement agencies have determined that the campus is safe and secure.”The campus opened normally for classes and other activities Wednesday. Counseling and other support services were made available for students, faculty and staff.Shortly following 7 p.m. Tuesday, alarms were going off in several Northeastern buildings near Holmes Hall and students were evacuated. Evening classes in some of those buildings were canceled.”It was definitely very scary because there were so many rumors going around,” said Northeastern student Connor Martin. “I heard as many as eight devices and, obviously, that wasn’t true. But you don’t know what’s real and what’s not.”5 Investigates reporter Mike Beaudet, who also works as a journalism professor at Northeastern, said Tuesday was the first day of class for his investigative reporting seminar and that he was inside Holmes Hall when the explosion was reported.”It’s a three-hour class. We just returned to the room from a break and we noticed some police and fire activity outside the window,” Beaudet said. “I actually went outside to take a look, but it didn’t seem like anything that unusual. It seemed like they might be responding to an alarm or something.”Beaudet said he then went back inside and at that point, one of his students mentioned that he noticed a couple of police officers rushing down the hallway during the class break. Beaudet then resumed the class and alarms started going off, which prompted him and his students to leave the building.”I don’t think any of us really understood what was happening at first. But then, all of a sudden, more and more law enforcement started arriving and it was clear that this was more serious,” Beaudet said. “We were on the first floor of the building. This happened up on the third floor. They kept moving us when we were outside farther and farther back from the building.”Beaudet said his class ends at 8:30 p.m., so the full picture of what was happening at the university did not emerge until followingward.In the wake of the incident at Northeastern, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in Cambridge, all urged members of the campus communities to be cautious and report any suspicious packages. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Multiple law enforcement sources tell 5 Investigates that authorities are now looking into whether the Northeastern University employee who reported that a Pelican-style case exploded when he opened it Tuesday night staged the incident.
Those sources also told 5 Investigates on Wednesday that there was no explosive material found at the scene inside Holmes Hall and that the employee’s injuries were not consistent with those typically suffered during an explosion.
A federal official who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said investigators identified inconsistencies in the employee’s statement and became skeptical.
As 5 Investigates reported earlier, sources confirm that a note was found inside that case referencing virtual reality and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
The Holmes Hall lab where the incident happened is an “Immersive Media Lab” on Northeastern’s campus that focuses on the exploration of virtual worlds, including virtual reality and augmented reality.
In an interview with The Boston Globe, the employee denied staging the explosion, calling the event “very traumatic.”
“I did not stage this … No way, shape or form … they need to catch the guy that did this,” he told the newspaper.
NewsCenter 5 contacted the employee in a request for a comment, but has not received a reply back.
Boston police, the FBI and the ATF are all involved in this investigation. All of the agencies declined official comment, calling this an active investigation.
Authorities have said the employee involved, a 45-year-old man, suffered minor injuries. He was not identified.
NewsCenter 5 was outside a home in Medford on Wednesday when federal agents arrived. A woman let them inside. The home is listed as a previous residence of the university employee, although neighbors say he hasn’t lived there in years. The current resident is the man’s ex-wife.
The woman who lives inside the Medford home told NewsCenter 5 that she did not have any comment on the situation.
Boston police said they responded to Holmes Hall, at 39 Leon St., shortly before 7:20 p.m. Tuesday. Boston firefighters also responded to the scene and helped police evacuate some of the buildings on campus, according to Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox.
A search revealed a second similar package that was ultimately handled by the Boston Police Department’s bomb squad.
In a message posted to its website Wednesday, Northeastern University said its Boston campus is safe.
“Events such as the incident that took place on our Boston campus last night can create or heighten anxiety for many of us,” said the post, credited to Provost David Madigan and Chancellor Kenneth Henderson. “We would like to underscore what was communicated to our community last night: Multiple law enforcement agencies have determined that the campus is safe and secure.”
The campus opened normally for classes and other activities Wednesday. Counseling and other support services were made available for students, faculty and staff.
Shortly following 7 p.m. Tuesday, alarms were going off in several Northeastern buildings near Holmes Hall and students were evacuated. Evening classes in some of those buildings were canceled.
“It was definitely very scary because there were so many rumors going around,” said Northeastern student Connor Martin. “I heard as many as eight devices and, obviously, that wasn’t true. But you don’t know what’s real and what’s not.”
5 Investigates reporter Mike Beaudet, who also works as a journalism professor at Northeastern, said Tuesday was the first day of class for his investigative reporting seminar and that he was inside Holmes Hall when the explosion was reported.
“It’s a three-hour class. We just returned to the room from a break and we noticed some police and fire activity outside the window,” Beaudet said. “I actually went outside to take a look, but it didn’t seem like anything that unusual. It seemed like they might be responding to an alarm or something.”
Beaudet said he then went back inside and at that point, one of his students mentioned that he noticed a couple of police officers rushing down the hallway during the class break. Beaudet then resumed the class and alarms started going off, which prompted him and his students to leave the building.
“I don’t think any of us really understood what was happening at first. But then, all of a sudden, more and more law enforcement started arriving and it was clear that this was more serious,” Beaudet said. “We were on the first floor of the building. This happened up on the third floor. They kept moving us when we were outside farther and farther back from the building.”
Beaudet said his class ends at 8:30 p.m., so the full picture of what was happening at the university did not emerge until followingward.
In the wake of the incident at Northeastern, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in Cambridge, all urged members of the campus communities to be cautious and report any suspicious packages.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
