Crime Log entries are selected from Northeastern’s Division of Public Safety reports.
Tuesday, October 28 1 p.m. An 18-year-old student reported that on Saturday, Oct. 25, her backpack was left unattended for 15 minutes on the third floor lounge in Stetson West around 10:30 a.m. When she returned, her cell phone and $25 were missing.
Wednesday, October 29 9 a.m. An offensive threat written on a Resident Assistant’s message board in West Campus was reported.
11:30 p.m. A 54-year-old male was approached by a 25-year-old male on the corner of Massachusetts and Huntington Avenues. The 25-year-old demanded the 54-year-old man’s wallet, and when the man refused, he stabbed him and fled. There were several witnesses on the scene who dialed 911 immediately. A witness flagged down an NUPD cruiser which happened to be in the area at the time, and was able to give the two officers a description of the suspect and the direction in which he fled. The NUPD officers located the suspect a block away and arrested Joseph Kierstead, 25, of Dorchester. Kierstead holds a previous criminal record and was out on probation at the time of the stabbing.
Thursday, October 30 1:30 p.m. An RA in West Campus A reported an odor of marijuana coming from an apartment. NUPD responded and found a 21-year-old resident and two guests, a 22-year-old male and a 23-year-old-male, who are both NU students. Smoking paraphernalia was found, along with another substance, which the resident of the apartment identified as ecstasy. All three students will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR).
2 p.m. A 19-year-old female student approached an officer to report an incident that occurred 10 days earlier. Around 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 20, the student was skateboarding on the service road behind the Egan Research Center when she was approached by a group of approximately 10 juveniles who surrounded her and asked for her skateboard. Although the juveniles did not touch her, they harassed her for several minutes before approaching NU students caused them to flee. The female student chose not to file a report originally, but eventually reported the incident after being urged to do so by her parents.
9 p.m. The RA staff in Willis Hall reported an odor of marijuana in the ninth floor corridor. NUPD encountered a 19-year-old male resident and found a pipe, a bag of marijuana and approximately two-dozen empty beer cans in the apartment. Five other NU students, along with a visitor from Boston University, were also located in the apartment. The resident claimed that he was the only one smoking marijuana. The resident, along with the 18-year-old male, three 19-year-old males and a 17-year-old female, will all be referred to OSCCR. The 18-year-old male BU student was escorted from campus and told not to return.
Friday, October 31 1:30 p.m. A female staff member in Richards Hall reported her purse missing from her office after leaving it unlocked and unattended for several minutes. The staff member also described a suspicious-looking person who had been loitering in the area earlier. Later that afternoon, the purse was recovered in an alley in the Back Bay, and was returned to the owner through NUPD. The purse was missing $20, although several credit cards were left untouched.
2 p.m. A male faculty member reported his hubcaps stolen from his car while it was parked in the West Village Parking Lot from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday.
5:30 p.m. A 21-year-old male reported his books stolen after leaving his backpack unattended in a lab from noon to 5 p.m. in the basement of Richards Hall. One witness reported that the lab was left unlocked at several times during the day even though it is supposed to remain locked.
7 p.m. A 21-year-old male student reported a laptop, property of his employer, stolen from his unlocked car while it was parked outside the Mugar Life Sciences Building. The student’s CD player was also found missing. The student reported that he had seen several juveniles loitering around the scene and suspects that the juveniles may have been the ones who broke into his car. The CD player was recovered in the bushes outside the Mugar, but the laptop has not been found.
Saturday, November 1 1 a.m. The Boston Police Department requested the help of NUPD in dispersing a large party on Cunard Street after several loud noise complaints were filed. Officers found a large party between two apartments located at 37 and 39 Cunard St., a private apartment building. Several beer balls were found inside the apartment. The hosts of the party, two 19-year-old male students and two 20-year-old male students, will be referred to OSCCR. BPD may also press criminal charges.
2:30 a.m. A 17-year-old male student reported being in a fist-fight with three males in a first floor corridor of Stetson East. The three males are not NU students and are believed to be students from a local high school. NUPD questioned one 18-year-old male student, who said he did not know the three males but admitted to signing them in anyway. The student will be reported to OSCCR for signing people he does not know into the residence halls.
6 p.m. A NUPD officer spotted a college- age male carrying what appeared to be an unusually heavy backpack. The officer followed the student to the front door of Stetson West and approached him. The student cooperated and admitted to carrying beers in his backpack. The officer confiscated 60 beers from the student, who will be reported to OSCCR.
11:45 p.m. An RA in Davenport B called NUPD for assistance with breaking up a loud party. The RA could smell beer in the apartment, and found the people in the apartment uncooperative when she went to intervene. NUPD found that most of the party had dispersed upon their arrival, but questioned three males who were detained by the RA. All three claimed they did not have ID and were not residents of the building. After additional questioning, a 20-year-old male admitted to living in the apartment and produced proper ID. The other guests, a 21-year-old male and a 26-year-old male, are unaffiliated with NU. The apartment was not searched, and the 20-year-old will be referred to OSCCR. The two guests were escorted from campus and told not to return.
Sunday, November 2 2:30 a.m. An officer on Huntington Avenue heard screaming coming from the area of the law school. Upon arrival the officer found 8 to 10 people in a fist-fight. Most fled when they heard the sirens, but two were detained for questioning. According to the two students, two groups had crossed paths and began fighting when a member of one group made an insulting comment towards a member of the second group. There were no serious injuries and no charges pressed, and the 18-year-old male student and 17-year-old female student will be referred to OSCCR.
2:30 a.m. A 20-year-old male visiting a friend in Davenport reported that two of his tires had been stolen from his car while it was parked from midnight to 2 a.m. in the Columbus Parking Garage.
6 p.m. Two residents of Mission Hill reported several cases of vandalism that had occurred the previous night to two homes. Some of the witnesses recognized the suspects as NU students involved in athletics, and were able to identify the students from NU’s athletics Web site. One student has been questioned, and more students have yet to be questioned. Several students will most likely be referred to OSCCR once proper reports are filed.
Monday, November 3 9 p.m. An 18-year-old male student was approached by a 45 to 50 year-old man looking to borrow jumper cables for his broken-down car. When the student told him that he had no jumper cables, the man asked to borrow money to get his car towed. The student, having little cash on him, took the man with him to a nearby ATM, where he withdrew $80 and gave it to the man. The man gave him a slip of paper with his phone number on it, telling the student to call him at a later time to arrange for repayment. The man then left. The student, now suspicious, called the number and found that it does not exist. The student reported to officers that the man claimed his name was “Elliot” and was able to identify him from several mug shots provided. The man, “Elliot,” has been in and out of the neighborhood for the past eight years, reportedly attempting the same scam on multiple people. He has not been found.
9 p.m. A male international student reported his passport missing. He believes he may have dropped it in the area around the library.
Crime Log Entry of the Week Saturday, November 1
8 p.m. A 22-year old male student reported being nearly hit by a pumpkin while he was leaving Stetson East. The student was able to point out the second floor window that he believed the pumpkin was thrown from. NUPD investigated and found a 19-year-old student who admitted to throwing the pumpkin out the window. The student claimed that he had been aiming for a trash can below and was unaware that someone was walking out of the building at the time. The student will be reported to OSCCR.
