Advisory Retracted After Robbery Found a Hoax

Those who received the Harvard University Police Department’s (HUPD) first community advisory of the year in an e-mail yesterday can breathe a sigh of relief.

The incident that inspired the bulletin never actually happened, said HUPD spokesperson Steven G. Catalano.

A Boston Globe delivery driver who reported he was the victim of an attempted unarmed robbery in Soldiers Field Park yesterday has since admitted that the incident did not occur, Catalano said last night.

“On further investigation, the victim recanted his story and at this time the case is closed,” he said.

Catalano said he plans to send an e-mail today to the same people who received the initial advisory—including students, staff and administrators—in order to revoke it.

The supposed victim alleged that at 4:15 a.m. yesterday two unidentified black males wearing hooded sweatshirts approached him from behind while he stood outside his vehicle at Soldiers Field Park, Catalano said.

According to the initial advisory, the delivery person had said that the suspects hit him in the head and then demanded money. The delivery person said he told the assailants he had no money and then ran to call HUPD from a blue light emergency phone nearby.

Officers immediately responded to the scene, but were unable to locate anyone who matched the description of the suspects the delivery man provided.

As part of the department’s routine follow-up investigation yesterday, officers learned that the incident did not occur.

Catalano said that this is the first time HUPD has ever had to revoke one of its community advisories, which are issued any time that HUPD wants to warn of possible threats to the Harvard community.

By this time last school year, HUPD had issued two community advisories.

But even though the now-retracted advisory was the only one so far this year, Catalano said the amount of campus crime can’t be determined by the number of community advisories.

“Fortunately, violent crime is relatively rare on campus,” Catalano said. “It does occur occasionally but not often, and for that we’re thankful.”

Community advisories from the past two years, along with this year’s “Playing It Safe Guide,” can be accessed on HUPD’s new website at www.hupd.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Jenifer L. Steinhardt can be reached at steinhar@fas.harvard.edu.