The third floor of Boland Hall had an outbreak of five thefts, yet the culprits are unknown. They occurred between Thursday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 29, reported Public Safety.
Three of the five thefts happened in a suite on the third floor north corridor of Boland Hall, according to the Assistant Vice President for Public Safety, Patrick Linfante.
"Two separate thefts occurred in one room, hours apart and an [iPod Touch] and cash were stolen," Linfante said. "On Saturday evening, a laptop computer was stolen from the adjoining room."
Another iPod Touch and additional cash were reported stolen from "two rooms directly across the hall from the first," Linfante said.
According to the Associate Director of Housing and Residence Life Albert Cardona, it is believed that the rooms' joint bathroom allowed for thefts to have occurred in such a concentrated area.
"It is suspected that the person responsible for the thefts entered through the bathroom door," Cardona said.
Residents of the two rooms both had guests during the three day period in question, according to Linfante. There was also no suspected forced entry into either of the rooms.
"This is unusual given that there were so many thefts and that they occurred in connecting rooms in the same area," Linfante said. "This certainly caused a spike in reported incidents.
Both Cardona and Linfante stressed that it is crucial to keep doors locked in these living situations.
"This is especially important in these kinds of residences as roommates and their guests (including students and non- students) can easily slip into an unlocked room without being detected," Linfante said.
Cardona added that establishing guidelines between roommates and suitemates can be a helpful factor to avoid becoming a victim of theft.
Linfante and Cardona also advise residents to always secure items of value.
"Apple products are especially desirable and they should not be left in plain view," Linfante said.
According to a student staff member of Boland Hall, Public Safety alerted the floor of the recent thefts by putting tags on the doors, telling residents to be wary of suspicious activity and how to avoid it happening to them.
Students are advised to immediately report any stolen items to either Public Safety or the South Orange Police Department. According to Linfante, these recent thefts were not reported to officials until Monday, Oct. 1.
According to Carbona, incidents similar to this have happened in the past.
"Given the large number of students in a concentrated area, [these] incidents will occur," he said. The SOPD is currently investigating the thefts, according to Cardona.
Tiffany Do can be reached at tiffany.do@student.shu.edu.
