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

An anonymous threat, an AI-generated 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 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.

Law enforcement swarmed 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.

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“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.