10/4/2022
Jason Duhaime, the university’s former new technology manager and Immersive Media Lab director, was arrested Tuesday in Texas, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Rachael Rollins said at a news conference. Rollins added she could not comment on a motive because the case was still ongoing.
Duhaime was charged with one count of intentionally conveying misleading information related to an explosive device and one count of making repeatedly false statements to a federal law enforcement agency.
“This alleged conduct is disturbing to say the least,” Rollins said. “Mr. Duhaime’s 911 call on Sept. 13 generated an enormous law enforcement response that resulted in the evacuation of a large portion of the Northeastern [University] campus and the understandable panic among many Northeastern students, faculty and staff.
According to federal authorities, Duhaime called emergency responders around 7 p.m. on Sept. 13 to report an explosion. That evening, authorities said, Duhaime told the 911 operator that he was injured by sharp objects that came out of a plastic Pelican case that contained a “violent note.”
Duhaime also reported that a second “suspicious” container was inside the lab, authorities said. It was later deemed safe when inspected by the bomb squad.
When investigators arrived at the scene, federal authorities said, they found the Pelican case empty and undamaged. There was also no letter inside the case and no indication that it had been exposed to an explosive or forceful discharge “of any type or magnitude.” The case “appeared normal,” Rollins said at Tuesday’s news conference. The lab’s closet also appeared normal and no debris was found, federal authorities said.
In follow-up interviews with authorities, Duhaime repeated the same statements to police, adding that he did not stage the incident, Rollins said. A forensic analysis of a work computer belonging to Duhaime that was seized by investigators showed a “word-for-word letter” stored in the backup folder that was created at 2:57 p.m. that same day — roughly four hours before the reported explosion, Rollins said.
A spokesperson with Northeastern University confirmed Duhaime is no longer employed by the university in an email sent to The Washington Post.
“Knowing what we know now about this incident, we would like to make it clear that there was never any danger to the Northeastern community. As always, the safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our highest priority,” a spokesperson with the university told The Post in an email.
Duhaime, who resides in San Antonio, is scheduled to appear in front of a federal judge in Boston at a later date. It is not immediately clear whether he has retained an attorney.
He told investigators that when he opened one of the cases very sharp objects flew out, injuring his eyes, Rollins said. Duhaime also alleged that one of the packages contained a letter threatening the lab.
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