Phone Harasser Nabbed By Police

A student at an Austrian university confessed last week to making over 10,000 harassing phone calls directed against Harvard Asian and Asian-American students, University detectives said.

The suspect, who has allegedly been calling Harvard students at random since October 1989, confessed to Harvard Police over the phone after detectives traced the calls to his Vienna home, Lt. John F. Rooney said yesterday.

Police said the man has not been arrested because he does not live in the United States. Because he has not been officially charged with a crime, police would not release his name.

Officials said the suspect is in his early twenties and still enrolled in an Austrian university.

Rooney said he could not promise students that the phone calls will stop.

"We don't know if he has officially stopped, but we haven't received any complaints since we identified him," Rooney said.

Rooney said he is exploring the cost and feasibility of prosecuting the suspect.

"It will be expensive to pursue," Rooney said, adding that there are international legal questions to be answered.

According to hundreds of police reports collected over the past four years, the suspect would dial at random and utter slurs such as, "Korean bitch, I'll kill you."

The man often called a student more than once, sometimes dialing the same phone number 50 times in one hour, Rooney said.

Police said the suspect was able to pay for thephone bills, estimated at $30,000, by chargingthem to his personal phone card.

"He said he paid for the phone calls himself,"said Police Chief Paul E. Johnson. "He comes froma well-to-do family."

Rooney said the suspect began calling when hebecame attracted to a female Asian-AmericanHarvard student who visited Vienna in 1989.

"He was frustrated and he lashed out," Rooneysaid. "He definitely has some psychological andemotional problems."

The suspect, who has never been in the UnitedStates, learned the exchange number from Harvardinformation, and dialed the last four numbers atrandom, reaching students of all races andethnicities.

Some students who were victims of the phonecalls said they hoped police would press charges.

"I did take it personally, even though thephone calls were random," said Lynn D. Lu '93, whoreceived five calls last March. "I hope they canprevent him from doing it again."

Mark H. Kim '93, co-chair of the Asian AmericanAssociation, said students were pleased when theylearned that police had found the caller.

"Everyone was relieved," he said. "A lot ofpeople took it as a prank call, but others said itwas a big deal.

Police said the suspect was able to pay for thephone bills, estimated at $30,000, by chargingthem to his personal phone card.

"He said he paid for the phone calls himself,"said Police Chief Paul E. Johnson. "He comes froma well-to-do family."

Rooney said the suspect began calling when hebecame attracted to a female Asian-AmericanHarvard student who visited Vienna in 1989.

"He was frustrated and he lashed out," Rooneysaid. "He definitely has some psychological andemotional problems."

The suspect, who has never been in the UnitedStates, learned the exchange number from Harvardinformation, and dialed the last four numbers atrandom, reaching students of all races andethnicities.

Some students who were victims of the phonecalls said they hoped police would press charges.

"I did take it personally, even though thephone calls were random," said Lynn D. Lu '93, whoreceived five calls last March. "I hope they canprevent him from doing it again."

Mark H. Kim '93, co-chair of the Asian AmericanAssociation, said students were pleased when theylearned that police had found the caller.

"Everyone was relieved," he said. "A lot ofpeople took it as a prank call, but others said itwas a big deal.