Northeastern students hesitantly return to class day after explosion reported
BOSTON – Students returned to class at Northeastern University on Wednesday, a day after an employee said a packaged exploded, injuring him and prompting an FBI investigation. Sources tell the WBZ I-Team investigators are looking into the possibility that the incident was a hoax.
It was a seemingly normal day, but for some students it was far from it especially with the bomb squad and FBI agents still on campus.
"It's certainly not turning me away, but I'm still definitely on edge, and there's been lots of whispers around the campus," said student Susanna Maize.
"A lot of campus students had to go to friends' dorms and actually stay there for the night," said Fares Bourote, "because they were not feeling safe or anything like that."
At around 7 p.m. Tuesday, the alarms started going off in some campus buildings near Holmes Hall and students were suddenly evacuated out emergency exits, many realizing it was no drill, seeing ambulances and cruisers through the window.
"Hearing all the sirens for probably 30 minutes at one point," one student said. "It was just constant sirens."
Police, the bomb squad and FBI all responded with the report of a package suddenly detonating at Holmes Hall, apparently injuring a 45-year-old staff member's hand when he opened it, sending him to the hospital.
Students were also ordered to shelter in place but say there was little university communication.
"With social media I think a lot of things circulate very fast and I think some clarifications from them on what was actually going on would have been helpful," freshman Tyler Wood said.
The first email an hour later alerted of an incident. The second, with a troubling subject line "Explosion 2" that some evening classes would be canceled due to an ongoing investigation and then the campus secured.
Some students questioned why classes weren't canceled Wednesday.
"If a lot of students are very uncomfortable, then of course you don't want to put them in class, because how are they going to focus on their studies," another student said.
Students told WBZ some professors did cancel their classes that were being held in the building where the incident occurred.