Texas Man Arrested for Alleged Northeastern University Bomb Hoax

A student walks through Krentzman Quadrangle on Northeastern University Campus in Boston, Mass., on Sept. 14, 2022. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

A Texas man who told police last month that he was injured in a suspected bomb threat at Northeastern University was arrested and charged Tuesday with allegedly staging a hoax explosion and providing false and misleading information about it to authorities, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The alleged hoax occurred when Jason Duhaime, 45, of San Antonio, worked at the university as the new technology manager and director of the Immersive Media Lab.

According to charging documents, Duhaime allegedly told 911 operators on Sept. 13 that he was injured by “sharp” objects that burst out of a plastic case he opened inside the lab that evening.

“Specifically, it is alleged that Duhaime told the 911 operator that he and a Northeastern student who was working in the Lab had collected several packages from a mail area earlier that evening and brought them into the Lab,” the DOJ said in a statement.

“Among the packages were two ‘Pelican’ cases, which Duhaime brought into a storage closet inside the Lab. Duhaime allegedly told the 911 operator that when he opened one of the cases inside the closet, ’very sharp' objects flew out of the case and under his shirt sleeves, causing injuries to his arms.”

The DOJ said Duhaime also allegedly told the 911 there was an anonymous “violent note” directed at the lab.

In response, the university issued an alert to all staff and students to shelter in place amid what they thought was a bomb scare.

Students were advised to avoid the Curry Student Center and Snell Quad while the police bomb squad assessed the threat. One of the alerts described an “explosion,” the DOJ said.

The alleged hoax occurred nine days after another package exploded on campus.

No Sign of Explosion

However, law enforcement allegedly couldn’t see signs of a forceful or explosive discharge or any type or magnitude in the case, which was “empty and undamaged,” the DOJ said, citing newly unsealed court documents.

The storage closet where Duhaime had allegedly opened the case also showed no signs of debris, the DOJ said.

“Duhaime wanted to be the victim but instead victimized his entire community by instilling fear at college campuses in Massachusetts and beyond,” said FBI special agent in charge Joseph Bonavolonta on Tuesday.

“Throughout the course of the investigation, we believe he repeatedly lied to us about what happened inside the lab, faked his injuries, and wrote a rambling letter directed at the lab threatening more violence,” he added.

Duhaime, who is presumed innocent until proven guilty, has “expressly denied fabricating his story about the case, the letter, and his injuries,” the DOJ said.

Forensic analysis of a computer seized on Sept. 14 allegedly revealed an electronic copy of the letter matching word-for-word the “violent note” Duhaime allegedly said was directed toward the lab in a backup folder.

“According to court documents, the metadata associated with this file reflected a ‘Created Date/Time’ of Sept. 13, 2022, at 2:57 p.m. and a ‘Last Printed Date/Time’ of Sept. 13, 2022, at 4:02 p.m.,” the DOJ said.

Duhaime, who was arrested on Tuesday morning, will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

A conviction on charges of intentionally conveying false and misleading information related to an explosive device and making materially false statements to a federal law enforcement agent comes with up to five years in prison for each count.