Gunshot Report Closes Princeton Building for 2 Hours

A maintenance worker told police he thought he heard gunshots in the university's administrative center

Princeton University's historic Nassau Hall was cordoned off for nearly two hours Tuesday night after officers received what was later determined to be an unfounded report of gunshots inside, police say.

Officers closed the building just before 8 p.m. after a maintenance worker told police he thought he heard shots being fired, a law enforcement official said. Police took the call seriously out of an abundance of caution, but gave an all-clear about two hours later.

Police did not find anything in the building and no one was hurt. The university sent out an alert to students, faculty and others urging people to stay away from the building after the report was received.

Nassau Hall is Princeton's administrative center. Princeton's website calls Nassau Hall the centerpiece of its campus and a university and national landmark. It says it moved classes from Newark to Nassau Hall in Princeton when the building was completed in 1756.

--Jonathan Dienst contributed to this report. 

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