By: Richard L. Smith
Authorities in Hudson County worked fast Monday after a bomb threat was reported at the Walmart supercenter at 400 Park Plaza in Secaucus, leading to a full evacuation of the approximately 100 shoppers inside. 
Management received reports of a possible explosive device just before 3 p.m., prompting police to bring in the Hudson County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad and the Jersey City Emergency Services Unit.
Following a thorough search, the store was declared clear just before 4:10 p.m., with no dangerous materials found. The incident remains under active investigation.
This incident in Hudson County occurred amid heightened attention to a growing number of hoax threats targeting institutions nationwide, particularly universities.
This month alone, the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) faced two separate bomb threats, initially deemed credible, triggering campus evacuations and widespread alarm. Ultimately, law enforcement determined both to be non‑credible “swatting” incidents, a form of harassment involving false emergency calls designed to provoke an armed response.
From coast to campus, at least a dozen universities—including Villanova, Arkansas, Kansas State, and Northern Arizona- have reported fake active‑shooter alerts or bomb hoaxes in recent weeks.
These incidents have sparked federal scrutiny: the FBI is now probing what appears to be a coordinated wave of swatting incidents, citing a marked uptick this month alone.
While the Secaucus Walmart threat may be unrelated, law enforcement sees a resemblance: calls placed to disrupt daily routines, prompt urgent evacuation, and trigger a high-level emergency response.
Whether originating from the same source or reflecting separate mischiefs, the similarity in tactics raises questions among law enforcement and safety experts.
Local officials emphasize that all threats, regardless of intent, must be treated with the utmost seriousness. 
“False threats carry real consequences, taxing resources, sowing public fear, and diverting emergency responders,” a security analyst noted during recent campus responses .
For now, the Walmart incident remains under investigation.