♪ ♪ yeah my kinda crazy's still running its courses with wildflowers and wild horses ♪ ♪ [ cheers and applause ] ♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, s.w.a.t.ing. it starts with a fake call to 911 threatening a mass shooting or other deadly harm, triggering a dramatic response from law

enforcement. now the fbi is cracking down. >> so why are we talking now? >> because it's reached that level of being a crisis level. >> juju: the effect on communities. >> they were trying to cause fear. they were incredibly prolific. >> juju: plus decons, the not stall jurisdiction trend flooding social media. >> we got off to a rough start but you came through. >> juju: disney channel's originals like "high school musical" widing a wave of resurgence. why a whole generation of adults are rewatching movies made for kids. >> every single person says the same exact thing. "you were my childhood." >> juju: remembering andre braugher. "homicide," "life on the street," "brooklyn nine-nine" "homicide," "life on the street," "brooklyn nine-nine" has died.

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♪ to the next. did they even send my lab work...? wait, was i supposed to bring that? then there's the forms. the bills. the 'not a bills.' the.... ”press 4 to repeat these options.” [chaotic music] [inspirational music] healthcare can get a whole lot easier when your medical records, care and coverage are in one place. at kaiser permanente, all of us work together for all that is you. ♪ >> juju: thanks for joining us. tonight the fbi says s.w.a.t.ing has reached crisis levels, and they're clamping down. once used by gamers to harass other players, callers now targeting groups and gatherings, using law enforcement's highest level of response preparation against them. but the fbi tells us, as the

practice has become more calculated, so, too, has their response. here's abc's aaron kater ttekat. >> the experience of being a jew right now is that the things that bring us joy also are opportunities for others to try to take down that joy. >> reporter: it was like any other friday night sa bat service at temple beth torah, a reform synagogue in fremont, california. ♪ community, worship, song livestreamed for all to join. >> we were getting in the spirit of high holidays. we were feeling excited, we were feeling joy. >> may this be god's will. >> reporter: this service would end shockingly as uniformed police streamed into the room. >> they came in with a serious tone. they looked like they had some business that they wanted to accomplish. >> reporter: police asked the

rabbi to stop the service and evacuate the sanctuary due to a bomb threat. but that threat, a hoax. temple beth torah had fallen prey to s.w.a.t.ing, an increasingly common prank that involves calling in phony threats to police about active shooters, bombs, or other acts of violence, often with the hope of getting to watch the ensuing chaos of the police response play out on screen in realtime. at the rabbi's request, we're not showing the video of her synagogue's s.w.a.t.ing over concerns of encouraging copycats. no one has been charged in that case. >> we don't know who they are. we don't know anything more about them than that they were trying to cause fear. they were incredibly prolific. >> the person or the group making the s.w.a.t.ing call, they are very well aware that in today's threat environment where mass shootings have become all too common, that a call regarding an active shooter is

going to be met with a large and aggressive law enforcement response. >> reporter: s.w.a.t.ing incidents are climbing. the fbi saying they've reached crisis levels with targets expanding to include very public places like hospitals, churches, and schools. >> s.w.a.t.ing calls can place the safety of responders in jeopardy. it can place the persons located at the targeted location in a position where they could be physically harmed or even killed by responding officers. >> reporter: while no one was hurt at temple beth torah that day in august, since then the synagogue has ended open to the public livestreams and continued to work on a fence around the perimeter of the property. >> we're not locking the door. we're closing the screen door instead. >> reporter: s.w.a.t.ing began online in the gaming community. players of first-person shooter games often targeting friends, rivals, or prominent streamers. in 2019, then 16-year-old "fortnite" player kyle ugga

gearsdorff was swatted while streaming his game live to his fans. >> i got swatted. >> did he just leave mid game? >> reporter: an unknown caller dialing 911, claiming to be him, saying he's tied up his mother in the garage and shot his father. the enduing police response ranlgtsing the real man. >> they come in with guns. what if i got offed? >> reporter: at the time his dad glen told abc news, "to the individual who attempted to have our home swatted and could have possibly gotten someone injured in the process, i don't hate you, i'm sorry that your life has brought you to this." >> they're hoping that the large-scale response will result in a media response and public visibility. they're looking for the reaction because that's what gratifies them. >> reporter: in 2017, tyler barris was playing the video game "call of duty" and called in a false hostage report on who he thought was a rival gamer. >> this is 911, what's going on?

>> i told you guys everything that happened. the argument with my mom and dad. they were arguing, and i shot him in the head, and he's not breathing anymore. >> reporter: law enforcement arrived, ready to neutralize the supposed threat. but it wasn't the house of barris' intended target, it was the home of 28-year-old andrew finch. police body camera capturing the encounter. >> show your hands! >> reporter: at first, he complies. then, police say he dropped his hands. [ shots ] >> pulled a weapon, shot one round, striking the male. >> reporter: finch was unarmed. tyler barris was sentenced to 20 years in prison. more recently, in april, university of oklahoma was swarmed by police, guns out, after receiving a series of false 911 calls about an active shooter. >> someone with an ar-15. >> where are you guys exactly?

>> we're hiding in the library. >> reporter: authorities are still working to determine the source of the call. so far, no arrests. these incidents and others prompting the fbi to take action, creating a specialized unit to tackle the problem of s.w.a.t.ing. >> for a long time, the fbi in particular didn't want to discuss these kinds of incidents because we're concerned of the copycat effect. >> reporter: why are we talking now? >> because it's reached that level of being a crisis level. >> reporter: the fbi's brian leblanc leads the effort, cooperating with state police departments to help them make more informed assessments. >> these calls have characteristics that can be used to identify them as hoaxes pretty early on in the process, and based on that, you can have a measured response. >> reporter: abc news was given exclusive access to this watch center run by the massachusetts state police outside boston. if a s.w.a.t. call comes in, it will eventually arrive here? >> yes. >> reporter: what happens here? >> from here, the on-duty personnel will start to work on

the call itself and the circumstances of that cat and work with the local police department. then ultimately push that information over to the fbi. >> reporter: you want as many people to know about these as possible? >> that's correct, yes, absolutely. >> reporter: while the fbi is moving quickly to keep pace with this rapidly evolving threat, community-led groups have stepped forward to do their part. >> the police can't do it alone. nor we as a community can we do it alone. this is a partnership. >> reporter: michael masters is a former s.w.a.t. agent who heads scn, the security community network, a nonprofit that focuses on monitoring threats and providing safety training for the jewish community. in the three months since the hamas-led terror attack on israel, there's been a 337% increase in anti-semitic incidents compared to the same time last year. in minnesota alone, 25 jewish schools were targeted with false bomb and shooting threats.

>> we've seen a focus on the jewish community to coordinate more closely on security. >> reporter: creating and distributing webinars to help community members build awareness and threat response skills. >> the training that we are working to do is designed to empower the community. if we don't teach people what to do, we are simply teaching them to do nothing. >> reporter: those trainings playing an outsized role in rabbi mccune's community, keeping calm in the face of apparent danger this past august. >> when i go to trainings for safety, i go with the hopes and dreams that i never have to use them. i wish i didn't have to use it quite as much as i have. >> reporter: while police swept the synagogue, rabbi mccune's congregation still managed to find a way to bring light into the darkness. >> so what one would have seen when they were on our virtual options -- on zoom, on livestream -- was that we left

the space. but what i wish that they knew was that we went outside and watched the sunset together. and we were holding hands and singing about peace together. and even though that wasn't necessarily captured on zoom, that's what i wish they would know. >> juju: our thanks to aaron. when we come back, a generation of d-con lovers enjoying classics like "high school musical" all over again. ♪ all of this together once we know that we are and we see that ♪ all of this together once we know that we are and we see that we're all in this together ♪ along with significantly clearer skin... skyrizi helps me move with less joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue. and is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. skyrizi attaches to

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♪

>> juju: welcome back. disney channel movies originally for teens are having another moment thanks to the millennials who loved them the first time around and the huge reach of their social media platforms. if none of this sounds familiar, you're probably gen-x or not on tiktok. here's abc's will ganss making his "nightline" debut. ♪ >> reporter: it's friday in philly, and 28-year-old millie mayo and her friends are getting ready to hit the town. >> listen, i got options. >> reporter: but this is not your typical night out. from nails to wigs -- >> we're going to be going with this. >> reporter: lily is feeling proud, literally, channeling her favorite disney channel character, penny proud, from the proud family. >> when i was younger, i was a

little shyer. and so to see a character like that, where she was pretty well-spoken, that's what i aspire to be. >> good morning, parents. mother, you're looking especially beautiful today. >> why thank you. >> and daddy, you wearing that suit, move over, denzel. >> reporter: tapping into a growing social media phenomenon, lily has been impersonating her favorite character for years, getting her family involved in making online videos that have reached millions of views. >> i see my family in that family. like, my mom and dad are very similar to trudy and oscar in how they are and their dynamics sometimes. just finally nice to be represented, like see ourselves. >> reporter: the group of friends are heading to a throwback night where hundreds of nostalgic 20-somethings will meet up to dance to the disney tunes of their childhood. >> the shoes are all done. >> shoes ar knockout. >> technically a pocket, so i don't need a bag. >> we're ready!

>> reporter: the nostalgia trend is taking hold everywhere, from nsync's first new song in 20 years," better place" -- ♪ >> that's it, yes! >> reporter: to "barbie" on the big screen rocking '90s fashion. >> what's going on? why are these men looking at me? >> reporter: millennial mania is blowing up in modern pop culture and proving to be a lucrative marketing strategy. >> millennials, they have so much spending power. it's an enormous generation. so brands have really picked up on the fact that showing this type of content is a really great way to drive more sales. >> reporter: one trend roaring back from the y2k era, disney channel original movies or dcoms, #dcom racking up 500,000 mentions on tiktok alone. people recreating favorite disney channel scenes. we got off to a rough start but you really came through. you helped me with the winter

musical. >> reporter: even throwing dmoc-themed birthday parties. dcomss centered around feel-good, family-friendly stories. like the record-breaking "high school musical" movies with premieres garnering 17 million viewers. ♪ wear all in this together ♪ >> reporter: so popular it launched careers like hilary duff. >> we have a lot of ground to make up because of you. it's a good thing we're excellent at this. >> reporter: perhaps the darling of the dcom era, christie carlson romano. >> every single person that comes up to me says the same exact thing. "you were my childhood." >> reporter: she stepped into the spotlight in 2003 in "even stevens," playing the spunky student wren stevens. ♪ we went to the moon in 1969 ♪ >> reporter: all these years later capitalizing on this

resurgence, creating her own content, finding a second act interacting once again with fans from decades ago. you said "millennials, more than most people, are really nostal nostalgic." what do you think it is? what is it about this generation? >> disney channel and other children's programming from other networks hit a chord with the nuclear american family. >> reporter: christie is now at the helm of five podcasts and a youtube channel, attracting over 400,000 followers who watch as she rewatches and gives insider knowledge on her disney channel roles. >> even at that young age, i made certain decisions about that character so she could be a little more scary. there's a little bit of mystery to how things were made. what was in the sauce. people are always fascinated about that. >> reporter: sitting across from you, it feels like you are aware of what your purpose is in this moment in your life? >> when you're growing up famous you're like, well, am i better

than everyone else? you're not. spoiler alert. so for me, for the longest time, i think i struggled with that entitlement and that relationship to that notoriety. and then i later down the line decided to create content to serve that community. it kind of did put me on the track for my purpose, i guess. >> reporter: she also produces condidn't that helps other former teen stars capitalize on the nostalgia trend. >> nostalgia is a sweet, sweet medicine. >> what they're able to do is re-engage their fan base, bolster their social media presences, which means they can then empower themselves to have sponsored content, make an income, and engage with their past in a healthy way. >> reporter: back in philadelphia, the doors are open at throwback night. >> i always wanted to do that. >> reporter: deejay andrew west travels across the country for the sold-out "if you know it,

sing it" shoes. ♪ get my head together ♪ ♪ get your head together ♪ >> they come out here to the club, they want to hear the things that make them think of, hey, this is my prom night. this is the first time i got kissed. that's the music that we sort of play that revolves around the disney channel which they grew up on. ♪ i play a lot play a lot play a lot ♪ >> reporter: this is the event lily and her friends have been waiting all week long for. >> it reminds you of when you were a kid and there's no care in the world. >> reporter: they are transported. when the proud family theme song plays, lily takes center stage and shines. ♪ a big night family a big night family ♪ >> me onstage, there's nothing like it. ♪ all to myself ♪

>> you feel so supported by the audience. and just their cheers and them singing along with you to something you remember so much is so fun. ♪ mentally mentally ♪ >> the spirit of penny has taken over, and she's in control of the stage. and i let her do what she needed to do, and it was so much fun. >> juju: our thanks to will welcome to "nightline." when we come back, remembering emmy-winning actor andre braugher, the star of hits like "brooklyn nine-nine." >> you've used my logic against me. well played, timmy, well played. >> thank you, sir. >> look at that. you helped me find my smile. d te the risk of hiv without daily prep pills. with one shot every other month, just 6 times a year. in studies, apretude was proven superior to a daily prep pill in reducing the risk of hiv. you must be hiv negative to receive apretude

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♪ >> juju: finally tonight, emmy-winning actor andre braugher has died after a brief illness. best known for his starring hole in "homicide: life on the street," braugher won an emmy for his portrayal of the volatile detective frank pendleton. the chicago-born actor appeared in dozens of films and tv shows and was nominated for more than 40 acting awards including his long-running stint in "brooklyn nine-nine." >> that is amazingly funny. >> juju: andre braugher was married over 30 years to actress amy bradson, with whom he had three children. he was 61. he will be missed. that's "nightline." watch full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.