Patients, families, staff stuck inside Children's Hospital for hours during lockdown

Patients, families, staff stuck inside Children's Hospital for hours during lockdown Patients, families and staff were stuck inside Children’s Wisconsin – Milwaukee Hospital Campus for hours Wednesday while officials worked to search the premises due to a bomb threat. Advertisement Updated: 10:52 PM CST Nov 11, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Taylor Lang Digital Content Manager Maddie Augustine Reporter Patients, families, staff stuck inside Children's Hospital for hours during lockdown Patients, families and staff were stuck inside Children’s Wisconsin – Milwaukee Hospital Campus for hours Wednesday while officials worked to search the premises due to a bomb threat. Updated: 10:52 PM CST Nov 11, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Taylor Lang Digital Content Manager Maddie Augustine Reporter MILWAUKEE — Patients, families and staff were stuck inside Children’s Wisconsin – Milwaukee Hospital Campus for hours Wednesday while officials worked to search the premises due to a bomb threat. Wauwatosa police confirmed the threat was not credible and normal operations have resumed. The investigation into the origins of the threat are ongoing. Advertisement The lockdown scene The lockdown began before 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday and was cleared around 4:10 p.m. Wauwatosa police were on the scene for more than three hours. People were asked to avoid the area and people were kept in their rooms during a sweep of the campus. News Chopper 12 flew over the hospital during the lockdown. Security guards and Wauwatosa police could be seen blocking parking and hospital entrances. Patients stuck inside Janika Brooks, who was at the hospital for a doctor's appointment, described the situation. "I came here for a doctor's appointment, and we was just, like, in my room, and we had, like, an announcement that the hospital was on lockdown," Brooks said. She added, "Around 1:00, they said lockdown, and we were told to stay in our room." Brooks said she learned about the bomb threat from family members. "I'm finding out from family members it's a bomb threat because they, you know, obviously try not to ensue panic," she said. The lockdown left many feeling frightened, including Brooks. "I was terrified. I was like, is it by us? Is it near us? Like, you know, I have my baby here. This is not how I want things to go," she said. Staff, patients, and families were instructed to remain in place as law enforcement conducted a thorough sweep of the hospital, checking rooms and other areas. "They came in our room checking, like under my bed, checking the under the everything, trying to see if we had anything in our room. Like they was checking everybody rooms. So scary," Brooks said. Some expressed concerns about the hospital's security measures. "I'm just confused at how all that money got spent on the new security system, and for them to still not know if something got in the building or not. It's like going through TSA to get in here," Brooks said. When the lockdown was lifted, relief was evident. "They let us know we were no longer in lockdown, there was so many people cheering you could hear it from your room," one person said. Despite the resolution, some families remain uneasy. "We have to come here tomorrow too. Yeah. So I'm even more scared because she have another appointment," Brooks said. Another individual added, "Hopefully there isn't a next time." This is a developing story. Stay with WISN 12 News for the latest information. Make WISN a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks 5 people shot, 1 killed in active shooting in DC, police say Death toll rises to 8 in Brooklyn building collapse as rescuers dig through rubble Why are gas prices dropping and how low will they go? WATCH: Ocean liner SS United States is sunk off Florida's coast after a long goodbye