String of Burglaries Occur on Crescent Street Over Weekend

Daniel Nesbitt ’22

News Editor

On Friday, Apr. 24 and Saturday, Apr. 25, three burglaries took place at three different townhouses on Crescent Street. In an email to the campus community earlier this week, Director of Campus Safety Brian Heavren indicated that the individual responsible used a first-floor window to enter each of the townhouses. “Using the College’s video surveillance system,” Heavren wrote, “Campus Safety staff were able to obtain video images of the person responsible and we were able to interrupt one of the burglaries.” According to Heavren, the Campus Safety investigation, along with the video evidence, suggests that all three burglaries were committed by the same individual.

Campus Safety interrupted one of the burglaries as they were in progress. Though the suspect was unable to be apprehended, Campus Safety has provided the Hartford Police Department with the relevant video footage and will continue to assist the HPD with their investigation.

Heavren told the Tripod that only one of the three affected townhouses was occupied, but “fortunately, none of the residents encountered the person responsible for the burglary.” The residents reported the burglary several hours after its occurrence. As of Monday Apr. 27, Heavren was unable to provide an estimated value of the stolen property as Campus Safety is “awaiting a list of stolen property from the affected students.”

There were approximately 185 undergraduate students remaining on Trinity’s campus since the College shifted to remote learning in mid-March, according to a statement from Dean of Students Joe DiChristina to the Tripod on Apr. 7.

Associate Dean of Students Rob Lukaskiewicz indicated in a Student Government Association meeting on Apr. 26 that the College did “contact each of the students whose townhouses were impacted.” Lukaskiewicz also indicated that the “first floor windows at 80 Crescent Street are secure, in-place, and operable” following the burglaries.

An email originally went out Saturday morning to those remaining on-campus, as our immediate concern was “safety,” DiChristina added. Following the SGA meeting on Apr. 26, an email was sent to the entire Trinity community.

In response to these burglaries, Campus Safety has increased video surveillance of the area and has assigned an additional officer to Crescent Street. In addition, the first-floor windows of all townhouses were checked and locked and, when necessary, repaired. Finally, the College “Hired a dedicated Hartford Police officer to be on campus through Wednesday [Apr. 29].”