At approximately 12:50 p.m. on Friday, July 11, the Fayetteville Police Department responded to a reported bomb threat at the QTS Data Center. Upon arriving at the scene, police determined that the threat was not credible.

“After a thorough search, the threat was deemed not to be credible,” said Fayetteville Police Captain David Cagle.

While police continue to investigate the origins of the threat, rumors quickly spread through the surrounding neighborhoods, falsely identifying the police presence as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid. This information sparked both concern and confusion for residents.

George VonWalthausen and Nancy Jaworski, neighbors of the area, were alarmed after passing a sea of blue lights and heavy police presence in front of the data center. They notified The Citizen that several neighbors believed an ICE raid had occurred, and that people were fleeing the scene.

“I got a call from my neighbor saying her sister heard from a friend that a police officer said she should make sure all doors and vehicles were locked up because there were runners,” said Jaworski.

Following the call, Jaworski and VonWalthausen reached out to their other neighbors to warn them to secure their homes and remain indoors.

Sydney Bontrager, a resident of Flat Creek Court, had alerted Jaworski along with other neighbors after hearing the rumor from her sister’s friend- her sister living a couple miles deeper into the woods surrounding the data center.

“We all locked our doors, we all locked our vehicles, and we stayed inside for the afternoon,” said Bontrager. 

Despite widespread concern, Fayetteville Police confirmed that the law enforcement presence was solely due to a bomb threat, which was ultimately unfounded. The police will continue to investigate where the bomb threat originated from.