Philadelphia, Aug. 22 -- A report of a gunman at Villanova University on Thursday (local time) was confirmed to be a hoax, the New York Times reported, citing officials.

The false alarm, however, triggered widespread panic among students and families on the campus near Philadelphia, coinciding with the first day of orientation.

Students were instructed to barricade themselves inside classrooms and dormitories as armed police officers rushed onto campus with weapons drawn after the university received an anonymous report of an "active shooter" at its law school.

"It's a little crazy," said Ethan Westaway, 18, a freshman from Massachusetts who sheltered with his parents inside the campus bookstore, the New York Times reported.

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