Strange Thefts Shake House

Detectives from the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) are investigating a bizarre series of thefts that took place in several rooms in Lowell House last Friday and this past Monday, in which several thousand dollars worth of electronics equipment was stolen but other obvious valuables were left untouched.

The robberies came just days after $2,000 in cash and $520 in checks were stolen from a room in Lowell’s K entryway on Sept. 20.

According to HUPD spokeswoman Peggy McNamara, Friday afternoon’s robbery occurred in L entryway, and two more thefts took place in A and B entryways on Monday evening.

In the first incident, $4,350 worth of equipment was stolen; in the second, the suspects left with objects valued at $800; and in the third, a video camera, a digital camera, and some DVDs—with a total value of $820—were taken.

But conversations with the victims suggest that in all three thefts, the burglar—or burglars—strangely overlooked obvious valuables and went straight for specific items instead.

Corey L. Waller ’06, whose flatscreen television, laptop computer, PlayStation, and watch were stolen from his room in L entryway on Friday, said that even though he had other valuable objects lying around, the suspects seemed to target certain goods in his particular room.

“It’s not like your usual theft,” he said. “Right next to my TV were Gucci boxes with jewelry in them. I had seven watches there, but they only took one. And they took the Playstation but not the wires, the controllers, or any games. It’s just weird. It’s almost like they were picking stuff that they needed.”

And Ansel S. Witthaus ’06, who had his video camera, digital camera, and some DVDs stolen from his bedroom in A entryway on Monday, said that the suspects made off with only three or four DVDs—even though there were about 100 in his room.

In all three cases, the burglars also only targeted items in one of two roommates’ rooms.

“It’s very weird—it almost seems personal,” said Waller. “From my understanding, for all of the people who were stolen from, none of their roommates’ stuff was touched.”

Jessica A. Hui ’07, whose roommate’s camera, cash, DVDs, and backpack were stolen, said that in order to get to her roommate’s bedroom, the burglars had to pass through her room, where her purse, jewelry, laptop, iPod, and two cameras were left untouched.

Hui, who is also a Crimson editor, said it was also odd that the suspects would come all the way up to their room, which is on the fifth floor.

“No one comes up here,” she said. “Even people we know don’t come up to the fifth floor.”

According to McNamara, all of the burglaries are still under investigation by the HUPD criminal investigation unit. It is still unknown how the burglars gained entrance into the students’ rooms.

While Waller said that he keeps his door locked, Witthaus said there was no evidence of a forced entry in his room, but that it was possible that his door was unlocked.

But Aaron D. Chadbourne ’06, who is a member of the College Safety Committee—which last year lead a “Lock Your Doors” campaign—said that the recent robberies may serve to encourage students to be more proactive in locking their doors.

“It’s terrible that people are having things stolen,” said Chadbourne, an Undergraduate Council representative from Lowell and former chair of the Student Affairs Committee. “But hopefully people will learn from this and keep their doors locked.”

—Staff writer Reed B. Rayman can be reached at rrayman@fas.harvard.edu.