The search for a suspect in a reported shooting at the Harvard Square MBTA station has ended and a shelter in place at Harvard has been lifted, according to a university alert.
Harvard said in an alert shortly before 3 p.m. that MBTA Transit Police were reporting shots fired at the Harvard Square T station. They said Cambridge, T and Harvard police were all searching Harvard Square for the suspect.
“Shelter in place,” the alert said. “Please enter the nearest building and stay there until all clear is given.”
Around 3:20 p.m., Harvard sent out a second alert, saying, “The search has concluded. The shelter in place has lifted.”
No further details were released.
Marc Bauer, who is visiting from Nebraska because he has a family member running, said he was on the T with his wife, daughter and future son-in-law when they heard the shots.
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“We were going from station to station and we stopped and everybody was getting off the subway. We heard like 5 or 6 loud, what sounded like some firearm being discharged downstairs,” he said. “We as a group were confused about what was going on, so we rushed back on the subway again and got out of there as quick as we could.”
“We just heard the shots, saw a lot of people scrambling, not knowing where to go,” Bauer added. “It was down the platform away from us a bit. We didn’t want to find ourselves in a bad situation, so we got back on the subway, the doors shut quickly and we felt 6 safe.”
“It was loud. Just like 5 or 6 real loud gunshots, it sounded like. Almost like fireworks going off. We didn’t know what was going on, but we saw a lot of people scrambling. We knew something was happening that wasn’t good.”
“It’s a little scary,” he added. “We had our entire family down there… As a parent, you just want to make sure your family is safe.”
The MBTA posted on Twitter that delays of about 25 minutes were being reported on the Red Line due to police activity at Harvard. Shuttles have since replaced service.
Red Line Update: Shuttle buses are replacing service between Central and Alewife due to police activity at Harvard. Passengers should expect delays as shuttles are being dispatched. https://t.co/1hqoxASuuV
— MBTA (@MBTA) April 20, 2025
