A University of Utah student was arrested after allegedly threatening to blow up an on-campus nuclear reactor if the school’s football team didn’t win this past weekend, according to university police.
Ahead of Utah’s home game against San Diego State on Saturday, police say the 21-year-old female student posted on the Yik Yak app that she would be "detonating the nuclear reactor on campus" if the Utes didn't win the game. The threat was reported by a university employee.
After police identified and interviewed the woman, she was arrested and booked in the Salt Lake County Jail on Wednesday morning for making a terroristic threat, which is a second-degree felony. She was later released.
The student told police her comment was intended as a joke, but University of Utah Police Chief Jason Hinojosa said in a statement that the school has a "zero-tolerance policy for these kind of threats."
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"Under state law, it doesn't matter [whether she was joking or not]," Hinojosa added during a press conference Thursday. "Even if they're completely incapable of carrying out the threat, or, the threat is made but an attempt is not, it's still the same charge."
A nuclear reactor is housed on the university's campus for teaching and research purposes. The police booking affidavit, which was obtained by KSL.com, said the student had knowledge of the reactor, was aware of its location and attends class in the same building where it's stored.
Hinojosa noted that the school has "several safety measures in place" with regard to the reactor and that the "likelihood of this actually happening was about as close to zero as you can get."
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"However, there was still that threat and that was still discovered by another employee, so we did have to take action," he added.
The district attorney's office now has to determine whether to pursue the case.
Just last month, a 19-year-male Utah student was arrested after allegedly making a bomb threat on the Yik Yak app directed at one of the school's buildings. When questioned, the man said he made the threat "as a joke" and had "no intent" to carry it out.
Utah went on to beat San Diego State 35-7 on Saturday. The Utes, who are ranked No. 13 in the country, are 2-1 on the season.
