UPDATED: Lockdown Ends At NBCC Saint John, Investigation Continues

A lockdown at NBCC Saint John’s Grandview Avenue campus has ended, but what prompted it remains a mystery.

Spokesperson Karen Rawlines said a lockdown alert was issued for the east Saint John campus at 10:20 a.m. Tuesday.

“Saint John Police responded and investigated the campus. Police determined there was no threat to safety and issued an all-clear at 11:14 a.m.,” Rawlines wrote in an email to our newsroom.

Shortly after the lockdown was announced, Saint John police said officers were responding to the campus for an “unknown problem.”

In a tweet, Saint John police said an investigation found no signs of a threat to the safety of students or staff.

Staff Sgt. Sean Rocca confirmed to our newsroom that the lockdown was not initiated by the police force.

“Police and school officials continue to investigate the source of the lockdown message sent to NBCC’s distribution list,” said police.

The wording of the alert, which was sent to faculty and students and posted to NBCC’s social media accounts, drew criticism from a number of people on Facebook and Twitter.

“If you are on-site, assess your situation and RUN – HIDE – FIGHT. If you are off-site, stay away until an “All Clear” notification is issued by First Responders,” the alert read.

Rawlines said NBCC is reviewing its logs to determine whether the alert system was triggered physically or through a system malfunction, adding that system providers have been contacted to assist.