Timely Warning - Burglary at Matthews Hall

This morning (7/24/23) at approximately 7:20 AM, the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) responded to a report of a burglary at Matthews Hall. In this incident, residents reported that an unknown individual accessed their room through a window and stole a laptop, two sets of AirPods, and two wallets containing currency, credit cards and identification documents. The residents reported that a fan and a grate positioned in their window were removed and the entry occurred while they were asleep overnight.

The HUPD is actively investigating this burglary and increasing high visibility patrols in and around campus. If anyone has information regarding this incident, please contact the Harvard University Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 617-495-1796.

If at any time, you observe any type of suspicious activity please notify the Harvard University Police Department immediately at 617-495-1212 (Cambridge Campus) or 617-432-1212 (Longwood Campus.) Students, faculty, staff, and visitors are encouraged to store the HUPD’s urgent number in their phone.

Although unlawful entries and forcible 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 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.