Three suspects arrested in campus laptop thefts

Three suspects believed to be responsible for the thefts of laptops and small electronics on campus were arrested last week in a joint venture between Public Safety and the 26th Precinct, which covers Morningside Heights.

“I am happy to report that Public Safety and the 26th Precinct detectives effected the arrest of those responsible for the wave of laptop larcenies in recent weeks … All are to be commended for this outstanding team effort!” wrote Vice President for Public Safety James McShane in an email sent to administrators last Tuesday.

These arrests are a sigh of relief for many students after a string of thefts in Hartley residence Hall, the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity house, and the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house.
The arrest was triggered when a student recognized the suspects from an alert Public Safety distributed early last week.

“It was a student tip and the other interesting thing was that all of the rooms where they stole the laptops from were unlocked,” said Terry Martinez, dean of community development and multicultural affairs.

The suspects arrested have no apparent affiliation with the University or any of the occupants of the residence halls or houses, yet, according to Martinez, they had done their research.

“The other thing was interesting enough, once they were in the brownstones they had a lot of knowledge about the college and the buildings,” Martinez said. “So they were engaging with them, in these conversations with students, they mentioned like, ‘Oh, you’re going running why don’t you go to Dodge.’ They knew the campus. They posed as students.”

Martinez added that it is important for students to be cautious about their space and their property, especially when strangers are around.

According to the New York penal code, grand larceny in the fourth degree is classified as a class E felony, carrying a minimum prison sentence of a year. Grand larceny is likely the charge that has been brought against these suspects, as the value of the property stolen exceeded $1,000.

The 26th Precinct did not respond to requests for comment and declined to provide the names of the suspects.

Last week, Public Safety encouraged students to remain vigilant about locking their doors and to take advantage of campus security measures to register computers, bicycles, and other valuables.
For the residents of Hartley 8A, the suite where some of the thefts took place, it’s back to business as usual.

“I think it was mostly just a problem of students taking responsibility for their possessions,” said Rachel Chung, SEAS ’15.

Carlos Alfonso, SEAS ’14, also saw the thefts as isolated incidents.

“By now, I’m just getting into the habit of leaving it locked,” Alfonso said. “I don’t think a lot of people actually have the nerve to do something like that.”

Jackie Carrero and Kelly Lane contributed reporting.
abby.mitchell@columbiaspectator.com