Andover police are trying to find the origin of a phone call to identify a person who called in a bomb threat to Pfizer’s Andover campus.
“The Pfizer incident was a SWATTING call,” Andover Police Lt. Edward Guy said in an email. The call was placed to the police control center at 5:37 p.m. Guy said no explosive device was found.
Also on Andover News: Andover Police Log
Swatting has become increasingly popular and is aimed at drawing a large, armed law enforcement response. Last month, more than 15 Massachusetts high schools received swatting calls warning of an armed intruder in a two-day span, prompting Andover Public School to take extra precautions.
A joint statement from Superintendent Magda Parvey, Andover Police Chief Patrick Keefe and Andover Fire Rescue Chief Michael Mansfield sent to parents Feb. 15 said officials “are prepared to respond to our schools and implement emergency protocols in case we do receive this type of call.”
Pfizer’s Andover Campus has eight buildings set on 70 acres and makes several different products. There are about 1,700 workers at the Andover site on Burtt Road.