NEW HAVEN, Conn. (1010 WINS) -- Multiple bomb threats reported at Yale University shut down several of its buildings and some nearby New Haven streets for several hours, officials said.
According to a school alert sent out at 2:30 p.m. Friday, police received a call just before 2 p.m. of bombs being placed in several Yale buildings in the Old Campus area. The call was made on a non-emergency line, according to New Haven Police Chief Renee Dominguez.
At least ten buildings — the University Theater, Jonathan Edwards College, the Yale Art Gallery, Vanderbilt Hall, Bingham Hall, Branford College, Welch Hall, Saybrook College, Bass Library and Grace Hopper College -- were evacuated and were searched before people were allowed back in, officials said.
Just before 7 p.m., a campus advisory said Yale was given the "all clear" and was back to normal operations.
Officials said the threat was passed along to Yale police, who quickly evacuated the area earlier in the day. Students and residents were advised to avoid the downtown area until further notice.
“We take these threats very seriously, we’re looking to track down the individual who made this call,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.
Dominguez said the department called in extra resources, including bomb-sniffing dogs, in order to be thorough in the investigation.
“We are treating this as if it is a legitimate threat … [workers] did a fantastic job trying to get as much information and keeping the individual on the phone as long as we possibly could,” said Dominguez.
Students in the affected buildings were evacuated to the New Haven Green before being ushered indoors in safe buildings while the investigation continued.
The university said multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the area out of an abundance of caution. The FBI's Connecticut branch is involved in the case, officials said.
Police wouldn't disclose exactly what the caller said, outside of the basic details of where was being threatened. It's unclear if the suspect is a student.
Police said the investigation into who was responsible is continuing.