Drexel student in Utah accused of threatening to kill ‘woke’ – NBC10 Philadelphia

A Drexel University student is accused of posting a YouTube video in which he threatened to travel to Utah Valley University – where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated – and kill the “woke,” according to court documents obtained by NBC10.

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On Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office in Utah was notified by the FBI of a man named Blake Francis Rogers, officials said. Rogers, 20, allegedly posted a 1 minute and 10 second video on social media directed at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Authorities at the school were notified of the video Tuesday morning after it was posted the night before, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

In the video, Rogers allegedly claims he lives in Philadelphia but was currently in Park City, Utah.

“I am now beginning my odyssey to Utah Valley University, to fulfill my lifelong duty, of finally killing woke. If you are receiving this video, it means that I did not make it back on this trip, and I was defeated by my mortal enemy, the woke mind virus at Utah Valley University, where Charlie Kirk was assassinated,” Rogers allegedly said in the video. “I hope by seeing this video, you all can understand what made me perform such actions, and can view me as the hero that I know I am. I would like to request a gold statue be erected in place of Mario the Dragon, on the crossing of Market and I think 31st Street, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thank you all.”

The Philadelphia location where Rogers allegedly claimed he lived is near Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. “Mario the Dragon” is also a reference to Drexel’s statue of their official mascot.

Investigators determined Rogers was currently staying at a home in Summit County, Utah, after a phone number was located and pinged, according to the criminal complaint. Deputies then responded to the home and learned that Rogers had left earlier Tuesday morning. Local agencies in Utah were then notified.

Investigators then determined that Rogers was possibly still inside the home. They then met Rogers at the front door, according to the criminal complaint.

Rogers then exited the home and agreed to speak with detectives, officials said. When asked if he knew why the detectives were there, Rogers allegedly told them it was because of the video he had posted Monday night.

Rogers then allegedly admitted to posting the video around 5 p.m. on Monday. He also admitted to claiming he would kill “the idea of woke,” according to the criminal complaint. Rogers also said he posted the video as a joke and that it was unlisted on YouTube and sent to 12 to 15 people, investigators said.

Rogers told investigators he leaned to “the left” but did not claim any particular political party, according to the criminal complaint. He also said he used the term “woke” as a “vague idea,” investigators said.

Rogers said the part of the video in which he mentioned not coming back was “clearly a joke” and was vague about any action he planned to take, according to the criminal complaint.

According to officials, Rogers understood why the FBI would believe the video was a credible threat and also knew they were compiling a list of those making jokes on the internet.

While Rogers has not yet been charged with a crime due to Utah’s three-day rule, he was still arrested under suspicion of “threat of terrorism – cause emergency agency to act,” according to court documents.

Rogers’ bail was set at $1,000.

“Any threat like this, especially given the timeframe and the specific mention of Utah Valley University, that’s going to be taken very seriously,” Skyler Talbot, Public Information Officer with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, told NBC10. “Whether or not this person intended to carry out these threats, that’s something that I suppose we’ll never know 100% or can’t know 100% but with the specific mention of the university, the individual being here local in the Summit County area not far from that university, it’s definitely something that we took very seriously.”

Students at Drexel told NBC10 they believe Rogers grew up in California but was staying with family in Summit County, Utah, at the time of his arrest. They described him as a “nice” kid who was “left leaning” but not particularly political.

“I’m sure it was a joke. I really don’t need to see it. I know that he’s not serious about doing anything crazy. People make stupid jokes,” Rogers’ roommate told NBC10. “He’s not really political. He is, I would say, left leaning but not like, he’s not like an extremist or anything crazy like that.”

A Drexel University spokesperson also released a statement on Rogers.

“Drexel University is aware that a student has been arrested in Utah. In accordance with applicable privacy laws and regulations, the University does not share personal information about students or discuss individual conduct proceedings. The University takes incidents of this nature with the utmost seriousness and addresses them as part of its established student conduct policies, which may result in disciplinary actions up to and including suspension or expulsion,” a spokesperson with Drexel Univerity wrote in a statement to NBC10.