Burglars Strike Matthews Hall For Third Time

For the third consecutive weekend, suites in Matthews Hall were burglarized, bringing the total to seven break-ins in less than three weeks.

However, this weekend's incidents marked both the first daylight robberies and also the first time suites below the fourth floor were targeted in the Yard dorm.

Two suites were robbed between 7 and 7:30 a.m. on Friday morning, and at least one other robbery was narrowly averted, witnesses said.

Daniela Lamas '03 left her room unlocked for about 10 minutes Friday morning.

During that time, her proctor noticed a man leaving Lamas' room.

The man, upon noticing the proctor, turned back into the room, and reportedly said, "See you later, guys," before taking off down the hallway.

Lamas noticed that that her wallet was missing Friday afternoon, but she thought she'd misplaced it.

She realized that it had been stolen when her proctor recounted the hallway encounter to Lamas Saturday morning.

Students said that the robber matched the description of a robber wanted in connection with burglaries last weekend in Thayer Hall.

Lamas' roommate, Ana Marie Lopez '03, was asleep in the other room when the robbery occurred.

In another Matthews suite, one wallet was stolen while the victim's roommate was changing clothes in an adjoining bedroom. The victim, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was sleeping at the time.

The roommate returned from the bathroom, and went into her bedroom. While inside, she reported she heard "scuffling" in the common room. When she investigated, she saw someone exiting the room.

The residents of a second-floor suite where a robbery seemed to be narrowly averted proved luckier.

Sitting on her couch in her second-floor suite around the time of the two robberies, Julie D. Rosenberg '03 said she heard her door open.

She said she heard two men talking in the hallway. One yelled, "They're not sleeping," and then slammed her door. Rosenberg did not report the incident to the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD).

Police believe all of the Matthews burglaries are related, and have stepped up patrols in the Yard, as the robber appears to be getting more brazen.

The Crimson has learned that, for the first time in recent memory, HUPD is using undercover officers to patrol the Yard.

Just the same, proctors in Matthews are warning their students to keep their doors locked at all times, even when students are in their room.

It's a message that many students are taking to heart. "We're prisoners in our rooms," said one.

Lamas, who grew up in Cambridge, said, "I've never had a problem with crime here. I certainly didn't expect to have a problem when I came to Harvard."

Students are growing weary of the incidents, and are frustrated with the police's efforts.

"If the cops can't stop [the robberies], I don't know what the next step is," said Helen B. Stevens '03 .