Death threat toward TPUSA chapter at Illinois college sparks investigation, forces leaders to leave campus

Olivet Nazarene University officials are investigating death threats to Turning Point USA chapter leaders at the Illinois campus.

Chapter president Jacob York had to leave campus for his safety due to the threats. York told Fox News Digital that he was given “academic accommodations” allowing him to finish the rest of his semester online.

“The first death threat that I received was anonymous through Instagram,” York said. “It said that someone was going to come in the middle of the night and slit my throat.”

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York said he received the death threats last Thursday but wasn’t the only student to leave campus. Mara Hudson, who is the chapter’s vice president and runs the group’s Instagram account that received a threat, was also sent home for safety concerns.

Fox News Digital obtained an email from the university’s president responding to a concerned parent about the death threats. Olivet Nazarene President Gregg Chenoweth stated that the students received an “anonymous threat of physical harm via social media, to a specific person, not a group or to all students.”

“I’m a parent, not just a president, so I’m sincerely invested on the seriousness of this, and understand the fear it can create. I hope this quick note is sufficient, as we are getting lots of requests for information. I’ve been working on this myself for 7 hours so far today,” Chenoweth told the parent in an email last Friday.

Chenoweth also said law enforcement is working to get access to records to help identify the anonymous person who sent the threats and that it could take several days, adding a detective told them the case was in an “urgent” category.

Turning Point USA has seen a surge in campus interest since the murder of Charlie Kirk in September. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Last week, the university released a statement to the community stating that their Department of Public Safety and the Bourbonnais Police Department are investigating “concerning threats directed toward specific members of our campus community.”

“At no time is this sort of behavior acceptable in our society and certainly not at Olivet, and it will be handled accordingly,” the statement continued.

The threats were sent from an anonymous social media account and were directed at specific students who received and reported them, the university added. There has not been an identified threat to the campus community at any point during the incident. 

“The University will continue to work proactively with Bourbonnais Police Department throughout their investigation to ensure Olivet’s campus remains a safe environment where our community can thrive. Additionally, the Department of Public Safety will continue to follow up on any leads that may possibly be related to this incident,” the university added.

In regard to the death threats, ONU officials did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Olivet Nazarene University officials are investigating death threats that have resulted in two Turning Point USA chapter leaders leaving campus temporarily.

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The TPUSA chapter has not been recognized by the university and the chapter is conducting events off of campus. York is the chapter’s president and Hudson is the vice president. Registering the chapter fell through after conversations with university officials.

“There is an active TPUSA group formed of current Olivet Nazarene University students. It is our understanding that the group has officers, including a president and vice president. The group is organized but not recognized,” a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

The university added that the group has yet to complete the process of forming an official campus group but acknowledged the group has had conversations with officials. 

Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) officials are investigating death threats to a chapter leader. (Google Maps)

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Bourbonnais Police Department for comment.