Tech terror as AI-generated bomb threat forces California school closure

An AI-generated bomb threat forced the closure of Wheatland Union High School in Yuba County, California, on Tuesday, after an anonymous caller demanded $15,000 in cash and claimed a bomb would detonate. Superintendent Nicole Newman called the threat a non-credible hoax, but the district canceled classes to allow specialized explosive-detection K-9 units to complete a thorough campus sweep. The incident mirrors a nationwide wave of AI-driven 'swatting' attacks.

Tech terror as AI-generated bomb threat forces California school closure See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The California Post on Google https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=nypost.com An anonymous threat, an AI-generated https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/business/anthropic-adding-watermarks-to-ai-generated-content-to-comply-with-eu-law/ voice and a $15,000 ransom demand threw a Northern California high school into chaos on Tuesday morning. The Wheatland Police Department received an anonymous bomb threat https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/us-news/bomb-threat-before-d4vd-murder-arraignment-forces-evacuation-at-courthouse/ overnight targeting Wheatland Union High School in Yuba County. Using a fake, AI-generated voice, the caller claimed a bomb was set to detonate at the high school unless $15,000 in cash was left inside a box, Superintendent Nicole Newman told Fox 40. https://fox40.com/news/bomb-threat-made-to-wheatland-union-high-school-deemed-non-credible/ Law enforcement swarmed https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/us-news/san-bernardino-detective-shot-in-california-desert-suspect-dead/ the area before dawn, conducting a perimeter check before alerting district officials just before 6 a.m. While Newman quickly called the incident a non-credible hoax — mirroring a nationwide wave of AI-driven “swatting” attacks — the district refused to take any chances with student safety. What began as a school delay spiraled into a full lockdown. Scanning the massive high school campus was too big a job for local police alone, so specialized explosive-detection K-9 units from neighboring agencies were called in. “The sweep is taking longer than anticipated because of the size of the campus and the availability of explosive-detection K-9 teams — additional teams are being brought in to complete the work,” Superintendent Newman told Fox 40. Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters California Post News : Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheCaliforniaPost/ , Instagram https://www.instagram.com/californiapost , TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@CaliforniaPost , X https://x.com/californiapost , YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thecaliforniapost , WhatsApp https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6a2IV1NCrL6q2AWq0E , LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/company/californiapost California Post Sports Facebook https://www.facebook.com/capostsports/ , Instagram https://www.instagram.com/capostsports/?hl=en , TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@capostsports , YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@CaliforniaPostSports , X https://x.com/capostsports California Post Opinion https://x.com/californiapost California Post Newsletters : Sign up here https://email.nypost.com/ california-post California Post App : Download here https://apps.apple.com/us/app/california-post/id6751343487 Home delivery : Sign up here https://subscribe.californiapost.com/defaultCAP Page Six Hollywood : Sign up here https://pagesix.com/hollywood-signup/ “Rather than continue to delay the start of school, we are canceling classes for today so law enforcement can finish thoroughly and without pressure.” The superintendent pulled the plug on Tuesday’s school day as students gathered at a nearby Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints waiting to be picked up. Parents are expected to receive an update on Wednesday’s schedule later this evening.