Community Advisory - Burglaries in Yard Dorms - UPDATE

On Tuesday, July 26, 2022, HUPD detectives sought criminal complaints at Cambridge District Court for the unlawful entry into Wigglesworth Hall on July 11^th. The Court granted complaints against the offender for Breaking and Entering in the Nighttime and Trespassing and issued an arrest warrant. On Tuesday afternoon, HUPD detectives while on patrol observed the offender near campus and subsequently placed the individual under arrest for the active warrant.

The two additional unlawful entries into Yard Dorms are still under investigation by HUPD’s Criminal Investigation Division.

Disseminated at 3:00 PM on 7/27/22.

7/11/22

Beginning Thursday evening (7/7/2022) to Monday morning (7/11/2022), the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) responded to three (3) reports of unlawful entries occurring in Yard Dorms, one in Mower Hall and two in Wigglesworth Hall. In all three instances, residents reported that an unknown individual accessed their room through a window and stole three laptops, AirPods, iPad, Apple Smart Keyboard and Pencil, and prescription glasses. In two of the incidents, residents reported that fans were positioned in their windows and the entry occurred while they were asleep in the evening.

It is unclear whether these incidents are connected. HUPD detectives are actively investigating all these incidents. If you have any information about these incidents, please call the Harvard University Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 617-495-1796.

Although unlawful entries (burglaries) into occupied residences are rare, the HUPD wants to remind our community of precautions you can take to keep yourself and your valuables safe.

• Residents should not prop interior or exterior doors at any time, hold an outside door open for strangers, or allow strangers to “piggyback” on their access card.
• Residents should keep their doors locked at all times, even when in the room or when going down the hall for only a few minutes.
• If at any time, residents observe someone acting in a suspicious manner in a building or attempting to enter residences, please call the Harvard University Police Department at 617-495-1212. Suspicious behavior may include a stranger knocking on your door and asking an out-of-place question, such as “did you lose these keys,” or making an excuse for being found in the room (“I was looking for …”).
• Residents should close their windows when leaving their rooms, even for short periods of time; should not disengage the “ventilation stop” on first-floor windows; and should keep all property away from windows in order to prevent someone from reaching in and removing items.
• If a resident arrives home and it appears that an unlawful entry occurred, please do not enter. Call the Harvard University Police Department immediately at 617-495-1212 from the safety of a neighbor’s room. At no time should a resident enter the room, touch anything, or confront someone in the room or the building.

For more detailed information on safety and security, please read the Harvard University Police Department's annual security report entitled "Playing it Safe”, which can be found at www.hupd.harvard.edu/annual-security-report.

For questions about this advisory, please contact the Harvard University Police Department's Public Information Officer, Steven G. Catalano, at 617-495-9225 or by email at steven_catalano@hupd.harvard.edu.