Room in Forbes burglarized

A room in Forbes College was burglarized last Friday, according to the Department of Public Safety's daily crime logs. Mike Caddell, University media specialist, said that the incident took place between 2:15 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

According to an email sent to the residents of Forbes by Zhan Okuda-Lim ’15, a residential college adviser, one of the residents of the room propped the door open when he went to take a shower.

"I propped the door open using the magnet in the corner, so it still looked closed, but it was actually open, and I noticed two African-American males chilling in the lounge next to my room,” one of the room residents said. “I didn't really think that they were suspicious or anything at the time, but I didn't recognize them."

The student explained that he showered for around 20 to 30 minutes, and the men were gone by the time he got back.

“I noticed right away that the drawers were open, things were rearranged, they had had gone through my stuff — it was clear that people broke into my room,” he said.

The students whose room was burglarized, a one-room double, were granted anonymity because The Daily Princetonian does not report the names of victims of crimes.

The last burglary reported at a residential facility on campus happened on March 9, according to the crime logs.

A bottle of alcohol, laundry detergent, change, assorted trinkets and two watches were allegedly taken, according to the other resident, who was not present in the building at the time of the incident.However, the student noted that the burglars did not take their more valuable possessions.

“It's kind of a funny way of theft because there were a lot more valuable things in the room that they could have taken, which could have gotten them a lot more,” the student who wasn't in the room said. “My roommate had his laptop, and we had other things like clothes and instruments that really could have fetched them a lot more money.”

“They opened and went through my backpack, and I had a laptop in there and a charger, as well as some electronics, like a Kindle,” the other resident explained. “They also took my roommate's watches, but they moved my watch, and to be frank, my watch is a better watch, so I was very surprised that they didn't take it too.”

The student said that DPS officers came to the room shortly after the burglary but added that the DPS officers had not gotten back to them yet about the case.Caddell explained that the case was still open and is currently under investigation.

The residents added that they did not expect their belongings to be recovered, and one of them explained that recovery is unlikely because the perpetrators are unknown and there are no cameras in Forbes, as far as he is aware.

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“Honestly, I don't think it's going to happen. There's no security footage or anything, and they were wearing common clothes,” the other resident said. “It really could have been anyone,” he added.

In the email, Okuda-Lim reminded everyone to keep their doors closed and locked, especially when no one is in the room. He also noted that the two men seemed to have been let in by a student and reminded the students not to let anyone in that they do not recognize.

The resident added that the incident was also reported to the Forbes College Office, which is also investigating the case. The Forbes College Office declined to comment.