SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) – The University of Utah has responded after an engineering student allegedly threatened to detonate a nuclear reactor on campus if the University of Utah lost its football game against San Diego State on Saturday, Sept. 17.

In the statement, the University of Utah Police Department was notified someone had posted a message on YikYak saying “If we don’t win today, I’m detonating the nuclear reactor on campus.”

Police determined the statement was posted by a 21-year-old engineering student who was interviewed on Wednesday, Sept. 21. The student reportedly acknowledged making the post and was arrested and taken into Salt Lake County Jail and booked for making terroristic threats.

The student reportedly said her statement was meant as a joke.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy for these kinds of threats,” said Chief Jason Hinojosa.

Chief Hinojosa also noted, “the University of Utah’s nuclear reactor is secured and alarmed and police have unique protocols for managing any breach of the facility.”

This week’s event follows the arrest in August of another student who called in a bomb threat for the David Eccles School of Business during the first week of classes. In the statement from the University of Utah, charges in that case have been referred to the Salt Lake County District Attorney.

ORIGINAL STORY: University of Utah student charged after threats to detonate nuclear reactor

Thursday, September 22 // 9:34 a.m.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) – University of Utah Police Officers arrested an engineering student Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 21, for threats to detonate a nuclear reactor located on campus.

The 21-year-old student, allegedly posted threats of violence on the anonymous social media platform, Yik Yak. In her post made on Saturday, Sept. 17, police report that the student said she would detonate the nuclear reactor if the University of Utah football team did not win their game later that evening.  

The Utes won their game 35-7 against San Diego State.

University of Utah police say the woman is an engineering student at the University and attends class in the same building where the reactor is housed. According to officials, she has knowledge of the reactor and knows where it is located.

The woman was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on the second degree felony charge of threat of terrorism.