Utica, NYPublished •Verified 2026-10-23

Bomb Threats at 4 Utica-Area Schools on Oct. 21: All Cleared, FBI Helping Investigate

Why it matters here

Two of the schools are in Utica and two are in the Town of Whitestown. Investigators are still working to find out whether the caller is local.

Utica, NY

Anonymous phone calls threatened four Oneida County schools on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 21. All four were searched and cleared, and no one was hurt, the Daily Sentinel reported.

The schools:

  • Hughes Elementary, Utica
  • Notre Dame Elementary, Utica
  • Hart's Hill Elementary, Whitesboro
  • Tilton School at the House of the Good Shepherd, Whitestown

Some buildings were locked down and others evacuated while K9 teams searched. At Hart's Hill, the call came in around 11:20 a.m. Students were back in class by about 12:50 p.m., and dismissal was on time, WKTV reported.

Utica police said the calls appear to come from the same caller. County agencies and the FBI are working to trace them. As of Oct. 22 no one had been identified.

For parents: During a lockdown, districts ask families not to come to the school. Watch your district's texts and emails for pickup instructions.

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