A campus-affiliated radio host is out of a job and under federal scrutiny after allegedly posting an explicit death threat against Vice President JD Vance.
The controversy centers on WUML, a student-run station tied to the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, which has long promoted itself as a community voice, according to WND. The suspect, described as a university alumnus and volunteer host, allegedly used a minor social media platform to post the chilling message, Its simple, we kill JD Vance, prompting an immediate law-enforcement response.
University officials notified authorities as soon as the post surfaced, and campus police quickly coordinated with the FBI, the Secret Service and other agencies to assess the threat. While investigators later indicated there was no immediate danger, the seriousness of a direct threat against the sitting vice president ensured the probe would continue.
The university condemned the post, which appeared on Bluesky, a relatively small social media network that has become a haven for fringe political commentary. Officials confirmed that the individual believed responsible, identified as an alumnus, has since resigned from his volunteer role at WUML and removed the post from his Bluesky account.
The threat was deleted, but not before raising fresh questions about the climate of political hostility that increasingly targets conservative leaders. A statement from UMass Lowell stressed institutional concern, declaring, UMass Lowell takes seriously any threat of violence involving our community. Statements such as the post in question are inconsistent with the values of our democracy and our university.
An official at UMass Lowell said the incident reflects a broader problem in the digital era. The incident underscores the growing concern over violent rhetoric online and the challenges of monitoring and responding to threats in the digital age. It highlights the responsibility of both individuals and institutions to uphold standards of respectful discourse and public safety.
The posting was traced to an account identified as hanslopez,bsky,social, underscoring how easily anonymous or semi-anonymous platforms can be weaponized against public officials. For many on the right, the episode is yet another reminder that political disagreement is increasingly being replaced by open calls for violence, a trend that threatens both civil discourse and the rule of law.
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