$80 Stolen From Purse In Matthews Dorm Room

On Thursday afternoon, an unknown man entered a fourth-floor Matthews Hall room and stole $80 from a first-year woman's purse.

One of her roommates had left the door to her room unlocked, as she had planned to return quickly from the bathroom. On her way back, she noticed a stranger in the hallway and saw the door of her room closing.

The first-year described the man as having a medium build, of Hispanic descent, with a crew cut, and perhaps 5'6" or 5'7" tall.

"I walked after him and said, 'Excuse me, were you just in my room?'" said the Matthews resident. "He ignored me and ran down the stairs."

When she returned, the woman did not find anything missing, but immediately called the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD). It was later discovered that $80 was missing from her roommate's purse.

Her roommate was upset about the incident, but pleased that the result of the intrusion was not worse.

"I was honestly glad that only money was taken and that no one was in the room at the time," she said.

Police Officer James Sullivan investigated the scene of the crime in response to the first-year's call. At Sullivan's request, the first-year will go to the police station this week to look at books of mug shots in an attempt to identify the person.

According to the first-year, Craig Knight, her Matthews proctor, sent out e-mail message advising all students to use greater caution in the future.

Alina Das '01, a resident of another fourth floor room in Matthews, views this incident as a wake-up call to all students.

"Since we are on the fourth floor, we didn't think this would happen to us," Das said. "But, it's made us a lot more aware of the importance of safety and security measures."

The student who was robbed agreed with Das.

"It seems crazy because we always locked our door, but this one time running to the bathroom, it just happened to be our bad fortune," she said.

The first-year woman who discovered the intruder leaving her floor said she still feels the effects of the incident.

"I don't really feel comfortable being alone in the room now at that time of day," she said.

This incident is not the first of its kind. Recently, an elderly stranger was found in a Quincy House room. In late September, a homeless man was discovered showering in a Hollis North bathroom

"Since we are on the fourth floor, we didn't think this would happen to us," Das said. "But, it's made us a lot more aware of the importance of safety and security measures."

The student who was robbed agreed with Das.

"It seems crazy because we always locked our door, but this one time running to the bathroom, it just happened to be our bad fortune," she said.

The first-year woman who discovered the intruder leaving her floor said she still feels the effects of the incident.

"I don't really feel comfortable being alone in the room now at that time of day," she said.

This incident is not the first of its kind. Recently, an elderly stranger was found in a Quincy House room. In late September, a homeless man was discovered showering in a Hollis North bathroom