A video posted on Snapchat Friday morning showing a gun inside a vehicle at Cal State Northridge has been deemed “a deliberate hoax” by an employee of an armored car company, authorities said.

The video, posted in the CSUN story feed at roughly 9 a.m., showed a handgun on the dash of a vehicle with the Oviatt Library in the background, sparking concern among students and prompting reports of a person with a gun on the San Fernando Valley campus.

University police launched an investigation into the video as unnerved students took to social media, warning each other about the possibility of a gunman at the school.

A video of a gun was posted on csun snapchat. Police have been notified. Will update with more information. pic.twitter.com/j87uBz6o1g — The Sundial (@dailysundial) February 16, 2018

Someone at CSUN has a gun we all just saw on the CSUN campus story. Please be safe. My professor just let us leave. IT looked like the person with the gun was near the library. Police have been notified. — izzyy (@izzyybelll10) February 16, 2018

CSUN Police Chief Anne Glavin said that as investigators analyzed the video, it immediately seemed “fishy.”

“It didn’t smell right to us,” she said, explaining that the video appeared staged and had been posted hours before authorities were alerted.

While officers conducted sweeps across campus, police also worked with Snapchat, ultimately getting the video taken down in an effort to quell new waves of fear.

As calls poured in from witnesses on campus, investigators zeroed in on several reports that an armored truck had been near the Oviatt Library about the time the video appeared to have been taken. One witness specifically reported seeing a gun on the dashboard of an armored car, according to Glavin.

That led campus police to contact GardaWorld, a security company that has a contract with the university.

Glavin said company officials were “cooperative and helpful” and analyzed their records to determine which of their vehicles had been on the campus Friday.

GardaWorld located a male employee, “grilled” him about the video and “ultimately got a confession,” Glavin said.

“He had staged the entire thing.”

At roughly 1:45 p.m., school officials issued a statement, deeming the video was a hoax.

“There is no threat to campus,” the statement reads. “CSUN remains open and operational.”

#CSUN Campus Police have confirmed that the video featuring a gun on campus that was posted to social media is a hoax. There is no threat to campus. CSUN remains open and operational. — Cal State Northridge (@csunorthridge) February 16, 2018

Glavin said the GardaWorld employee is not currently in custody, but that her department is working “to see if we can prosecute.”

A GardaWorld spokeswoman later confirmed that the employee has been suspended “and will remain so until we complete our internal investigation, which is currently underway.”

“I can assure you that we take this incident very seriously and that appropriate measures will be taken to address it,” spokeswoman Heather McAlister told the L.A. Daily News.

News of the incident spread quickly on social media, with many describing the fear it sparked both on and off campus. Others expressed frustration that someone would post the video in the wake of Wednesday’s school shooting in Parkland, Fla. that left 17 people dead.

I heard that CSUN was on locked down, my heart stop for a second. My best friend goes to that school and just the thought of it, scared me. — Jocelyne (@jodyjosy) February 16, 2018

CSUN emailed us saying it's a hoax. Considering what happened in Florida last wednesday, things like this should be taken seriously! — Just Malen (@justmalen_) February 16, 2018

Pissed that someone at CSUN thought it would be funny to post that gun scare today. I just normally don't see that around California, so it freaks me out. But I've never been around guns before, so they scare me because of everything going on rn in the country. — Androgynous Alien 🌹 (@jolie_schmolie) February 16, 2018

You know what isn’t a hoax?!! The several students ON campus receiving the news. Being TERRIFIED, texting their loved ones, & not knowing that the hell to do. Being scared for their lives. How many more DISASTERS is it going to take?? #CSUN — catsan (@CathyyD) February 16, 2018

Glavin said the quick resolution of the investigation boils down to “good police work and help from our community.”

She added that on the heels of the tragedy in Florida, her department — and law enforcement across the nation — feels a “greater urgency” to get the facts out quickly, adding that false reports and heightened fears are common in the wake of mass shootings.

“This is the normal aftermath,” she said. “And how sad is that?”