Hoax event in United States of America on Sun 17th May 2026

A bogus bomb threat sparked a major police response at Newport Hospital early Sunday morning in what authorities believe was a dangerous “swatting” incident — the second major threat involving the hospital in just over a week.

Newport Police Department said officers rushed to the hospital around 7:02 a.m. after receiving a report of a bomb threat. Police quickly secured the area and launched a full investigation with assistance from the Rhode Island State Police bomb detection K-9 unit.

Thankfully, investigators later determined there was no credible threat to the public.

Authorities now believe the call was part of a “swatting” scheme — a reckless hoax designed to trigger a massive emergency response by falsely reporting a shooting, bomb threat or other violent incident.

While the threat turned out to be fake, police say incidents like these are anything but harmless. False reports can create panic, overwhelm emergency responders and divert police resources away from real emergencies where lives may actually be at risk.

The latest scare comes just eight days after another terrifying threat rattled the hospital.

On May 9, an anonymous caller warned hospital staff that a man armed with a rifle was heading to the hospital to “shoot the place up,” prompting an immediate lockdown. The call came in around 3:50 p.m., claiming the attack would happen minutes later at 4 p.m.

Newport Police officers rushed to the scene while Rhode Island State Police also responded after monitoring emergency radio traffic. Officers took positions around entrances as hospital officials locked down the facility.

That threat also turned out to be unfounded, though police maintained an officer at the hospital afterward as a precaution.

Authorities have not said whether the two incidents are connected, but both investigations remain ongoing.

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