Children’s Wisconsin hospital campus lifted its security lockdown on Wednesday after a bomb threat prompted an emergency response and a thorough building search in Wauwatosa.
The lockdown was cleared around 4:10 p.m., according to Wauwatosa police.
The pediatric facility at 8915 W. Connell Court was on lockdown for more than two hours after law enforcement received the afternoon warning on Nov. 11, 2026. The facility is known to many as Children’s Hospital.
Wauwatosa police confirmed that officers found no credible threat and no suspicious objects during their sweep of the grounds, allowing normal hospital operations to resume shortly after 4 p.m.
The emergency protocols began before 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to local reporting from 12 News. Wauwatosa police units remained on the scene for more than three hours while securing the main hospital and outpatient clinics.
During the security sweep, hospital officials used social media to direct families and community members away from the area. Patients and staff inside the facility were instructed to remain in place within their assigned rooms and units.
Staff not currently on campus, visitors, patients, and families were all asked by Wauwatosa police to avoid the area as the investigation continued. Employees and staff were directed to check their internal communications for updates.
Patients inside the hospital told 12 News that they heard the announcement come over the intercom during the lockdown.
“It is scary,” Alma Martinez Vazquez told 12 News while sheltering inside the building during the lockdown. “It’s very scary not knowing what’s going on, not being able to see. We are just in a bunch of walls with no windows. So not actually knowing where the threat is or what’s really happening, or how are we being held safe. So it’s terrifying and it’s worrisome.”
Aerial footage captured by News Chopper 12 showed security guards and police officers actively blocking parking lots and hospital entrances while investigation teams worked inside.
The security incident in Wauwatosa coincided with a similar threat at another children’s hospital in the United States on the same day.
Boston Children’s Hospital also reported receiving a security threat on Wednesday that triggered an investigation before officials issued an all-clear notice, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel coverage. Children’s Wisconsin joined other pediatric hospitals that received bomb threats this week that turned out to be hoaxes. Law enforcement agencies have not yet released details regarding the origin of the threat directed at the Wisconsin campus.
Police departments and hospital administrators have lifted restrictions, and standard patient care schedules have been fully restored across the hospital campus.
Authorities have not publicly identified any suspects or disclosed the source of the communication, leaving questions open as local investigators continue to review the origin of the false report. 12 News asked Wauwatosa police where the threat came from, and is waiting to hear back.
