Chesterton man arrested for threat to United States Naval Academy

A northern Indiana man was arrested on September 12, on suspicion of sending an online threat through a social media application concerning the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on September 11. 

A complaint charging Jackson Fleming, 23, of Chesterton, with one count of transmitting a threat in interstate communication in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 875(c) was approved by a magistrate judge in the Northern District of Indiana on September 14, 2025. 

Fleming attended the academy from June 2021 to January 2024.

A lockdown was triggered at the academy that led authorities to respond what ultimately was a false report of a gunman. A midshipman who misunderstood security personnel to be a threat was shot in the shoulder.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and is a temporary charge that must be followed by an information or indictment formally bringing federal charges.  If formally charged, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 875(c) is punishable by a maximum of five years imprisonment.

This is a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with assistance from the Porter County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana in cooperation with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.