Second Bomb Threat Targets Wicomico Elementary Schools

Wicomico County, MD - On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at approximately 6:13 p.m., the Fruitland Police Department received a bomb threat by phone on its non-emergency line. The caller threatened elementary schools across the Wicomico County area. Officials say the threat is not considered credible, but they are taking extra steps to keep students safe.

The Wicomico County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation. It is working with the Fruitland Police Department and Wicomico County Public Schools.
During the call, the caller mentioned an earlier attempt to reach "Captain Holland."

The caller said that since they could not speak with the captain the first time, they would "bomb all elementary schools within the area."

This is the second bomb threat Fruitland police have received in two days. The first pair of calls named "Fruitland Elementary School." Wednesday's call did not name a specific school.

Officials say calls like these are being reported across the country. They are not limited to Wicomico County.

Deputies and officers are now doing more patrol checks at Wicomico County Public Schools. School Resource deputies are also working with the school system's Safe Schools team. School buildings and grounds are monitored and secured 24 hours a day.

Investigators are working to find out who made the calls. They asked the phone service provider for account details tied to the number used in Wednesday's call.

With help from an FBI agent, investigators found the account was set up using what appears to be fake information. They also learned this number was different from the one used in the earlier threat.

The caller's internet traffic was also hidden through a VPN, a service that masks where someone is really connecting from. That connection traced back to an address in the Netherlands.

An FBI agent is working on a request to get more information about that VPN connection. Investigators have been told this process could take some time. The caller may have also routed the connection through other countries, which could make it harder to identify them.

Anyone with information about these calls is asked to reach out. You can contact the Fruitland Police Department at 410-548-2804, the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office at 410-548-4891, or Wicomico County Crime Solvers at 410-548-1776.

Officials also remind everyone to report any suspicious activity related to these threats to law enforcement right away.