By Alena Bitonti
Arts & Entertainment Editor
The Signal and Campus Police work together on a weekly basis to inform the campus community about crime on and around campus. All records given to The Signal are public records and do not contain personal information. Some information provided may be triggering for some students.
Booted vehicles
Between March 3 and March 25, there were seven booted vehicles on campus. A vehicle is eligible to be booted if it has three or more unpaid citations. Campus Police has reported an increase in the number of car boots compared to previous years, largely due to AIMS, the police station’s new parking management system.
March 3: Burnt burrito
Campus Police were dispatched to Allen, Brewster and Ely Hall at approximately 9:34 p.m. on the report of an activated fire alarm. Upon arrival, the fire alarm panel read an activated smoke detector coming from a room in Brewster. The resident advised that he was attempting to heat a burrito in the microwave, got distracted, and left the burrito in the microwave for too long.
The Ewing Fire Department responded shortly after to assist, and confirmed the cause of activation was due to careless cooking. The fire alarm panel was reset.
March 5: Steam leak
At approximately 10:23 a.m., Campus Police were dispatched to the Science Complex for an activated fire alarm. Strobes and audibles were active upon arrival, and evacuation was in progress. No smoke or fire was present in the area.
The Ewing Fire Department responded and determined that a steam leak in the basement of the Chemistry building had triggered the alarm. HVAC personnel arrived shortly after and resolved the issue.
March 6: Nosebleed
An employee working at the Brower Student Center was experiencing a nosebleed at approximately 2:54 p.m. Campus Police were dispatched to the Student Center and met with the employee who was holding a paper towel to her nose. She stated she had been holding her nose for about 15 minutes.
EMS arrived on scene and transported the patient to Capital Health Regional Medical Center.
March 7: Just add water
On the report of an active fire alarm, Campus Police were dispatched to Norsworthy Hall at approximately 12:50 a.m. Upon arrival, the fire alarm panel advised that the smoke detector in a room on the second floor was the activation point. A burnt odor was present in the hallway of the second floor. Campus Police observed smoke throughout the room that was created by charred mac and cheese shells in a microwaveable cup.
Ewing Fire Squad arrived on scene at approximately 12:56 a.m. and agreed the cause was careless cooking. The alarm was reset, and Norsworthy residents reoccupied the building. Residents were reminded by Campus Police to use water when microwaving mac and cheese.
March 7: Medical report
At approximately 5:15 a.m., Campus Police were dispatched to Phelps Hall on the report of a student having trouble feeling her legs. After speaking with the patient, who was in a wheelchair at the time of arrival, Campus Police were informed that she had been feeling numbness in her legs and was unable to stand. The patient was also feeling dizzy and nauseous.
Lions EMS and Ewing EMS arrived on scene shortly after to assist. Ewing EMS transported the patient to Capital Health Hopewell for further care.
March 8: Candle
After a candle set off a resident’s smoke alarm, Campus Police were dispatched to Decker Hall at approximately 2:52 a.m. Upon arrival, a floral-like odor was present throughout the floor, and an audible alarm was sounding inside the room. The resident had already disposed of the candle before officers arrived.
Ewing Fire Squad 30 arrived at 3:02 a.m., inspected the room, and confirmed there was no smoke or fire. The fire alarm was reset, and the building was deemed safe. It was determined that the resident had removed a piece of the smoke detector in an attempt to stop the alarm and was advised not to tamper with it in the future. Fire personnel reattached the piece before clearing the scene.
March 10: A dangerous game
At 8:37 p.m., Campus Police responded to a medical call at the Rec Center for an intramural basketball player who had injured his left ankle. Upon arrival at Court 3 at 8:38 p.m., the player’s leg was elevated on a chair, and ice was being applied to his ankle. He reported no other pain. Lions EMS arrived at 8:42 p.m. and assumed patient care. The patient refused further medical attention.
Later that evening, at 9:24 p.m, officers responded to Court 2 in the Rec Center for another medical incident involving a player with a dislocated right kneecap. The individual was sitting in a chair with ice applied to his knee upon the arrival of Campus Police. He stated that he felt his knee pop upon landing from a jump but reported no other pain. Lions EMS arrived at 9:28 p.m. and assumed patient care. The patient refused further medical attention.
March 11: Missing cash
A student reported a theft at the Campus Town Fitness Center at approximately 12:38 p.m. He stated that he had placed his belongings in a locker without a lock before working out, and upon returning, he discovered that $150 in cash was missing from his book bag. He believed the money may have been taken by a white male, approximately 5’9” and 150 pounds, with brown curly hair, as this individual was present in the locker room at the time.
However, the student could not positively identify the suspect. Officers informed the student that there are no cameras in the locker room or gym area and advised him of the case number and complaint procedures.
March 13: Scam
After a student began receiving messages and calls from an unknown suspect, Campus Police were contacted. The suspect began sending the student a photo of themselves, suggesting they had been following the student on Instagram. They then demanded $500, threatening to ruin the student’s life and report them to the FBI. The suspect also claimed they would distribute nude photos of the student to everyone at the College, in Trenton, and to the student’s friends and family. The suspect instructed the student to purchase a $500 Apple gift card, but the student did not send any money.
Officers provided the student with a report number, a victim notification form, and an email to submit screenshots of the conversation. The student was advised to block the suspect’s number and cease all communication. A search of the suspect’s phone number in CLEAR, which contains public record information and is also used for law enforcement and investigations, revealed no name associated with it. However, the number was linked to Greenfield, California, with a fraud score of 85. The number was flagged as being associated with scams, robocalls, and fraudulent activity.
March 14: Overload
Campus Police responded to the laundry room in Townhouse East for a report of smoke coming from a washing machine. Upon arrival at approximately 3:46 p.m., strobes and audibles were not activated, but the room was filled with smoke and a burning odor was emanating from washing machine 15. The machine was unplugged, and the fire alarm pull station was activated at 3:50 p.m., prompting the building evacuation at 3:55 p.m.
The Ewing Fire Department arrived shortly after and determined the burning odor was caused by an overloaded machine. The fire alarm was reset and students were allowed to re-enter the building.
March 15: Bad cook
A caller contacted Campus Police to report that the smoke alarm went off in her apartment at 100 Metzger Drive at 5:50 p.m. Upon arrival at Campus Town, officers observed lingering smoke near the residence. The resident explained that she had been attempting to cook a hamburger when the cooking got out of control, triggering the alarm.
By the time officers arrived, the smoke alarm had stopped sounding, and no other alarms were active in the building. The Ewing Township Fire Department arrived at 5:51 p.m. and confirmed there was no threat present.
March 18: Stolen wallet
Campus Police were dispatched to the Verizon store in Campus Town at 12:50 p.m. on March 18 for a report of a stolen wallet. The victim, an employee, stated that his wallet had been taken during his shift on March 16 but was unaware until he finished work. Security footage showed two men entering the store at 3:02 p.m., spotting the wallet on a desk, covering it with one of their items, and removing both at the same time.
The suspects were described as Black males, one wearing black and white sneakers, tan workout pants, a black hoodie and a red flat-brimmed baseball cap, and the other wearing a navy blue t-shirt. The stolen wallet, valued at approximately $10, contained debit and credit cards that were later used for multiple fraudulent purchases, including a $271.99 transaction. An attempted purchase at GameStop was unsuccessful after the victim reported the cards stolen.
Campus Police investigated at a Total Wireless store, where the owner confirmed a fraudulent $271.99 transaction matching the victim’s bank statement. Surveillance footage linked the same two suspects from the Verizon store to the fraudulent purchase of an iPhone 13 at another Total Wireless location operated by the same owner. The investigation is ongoing.
March 24: Burnt sausage
On the report of an activated fire alarm, Campus Police arrived at Allen, Brewster and Ely Hall at approximately 11:40 a.m. The point of activation was a room in Brewster Hall, but upon arrival, no audible alarms or strobes were active. A burnt food odor was present, and the resident stated that the alarm was triggered after overcooking a sausage sandwich.
The Ewing Fire Department arrived on the scene at 11:46 a.m., confirmed that the alarm had stopped, and determined that no further action was needed.
