2008 Woodie Awards
Suffolk dorm security breached
Garrett Quinn
Issue date: 12/8/04 Section: News
For the second time this year, a student had a laptop stolen from their Suffolk dorm room. On Nov. 29 at 11:40 a.m., a resident of the 150 Tremont St. Residence Hall reported to Suffolk University Police that his laptop was missing from his room. Around the same time, three students said they encountered a suspicious individual in their rooms.
One of those incidents took place in the suite where the laptop was stolen. Freshman Matt Thompson encountered a stranger in his room at around 11 a.m. "I walked into my room and there was this black guy standing there," he said. Thompson said he never saw the man before. "He said to me he was just waiting for my roommate Michael."
Thompson didn't find the man to be out the ordinary. After a few minutes, he said the suspect left his room. Thompson noted that before he entered his room the door was locked, "which is very unusual," he said. His suite mate, Nick Baboian, slept through the incident. The door was left ajar by a skate, which the boys in the suite said was unusual because they always lock the door, too. Thompson described the individual as a well built black man in his early 20s wearing a black winter jacket, a black hat with baseball logos on it and baggy jeans.
Suffolk Police believe they caught the alleged thief on a surveillance camera. At approximately 10:46 a.m. police said a man matching Thompson's description entered the dorms at 150 Tremont St. "He 'piggybacked' his way in," said Police Chief John Pagliarulo. Piggyback means he entered the dorms by following close behind another student, whereas avoiding the need to swipe an ID card. The man was stopped by security and briefly questioned as to why he was entering the building, Pagliarulo said. He told the officer that he was applying for a job at Sodexho and held up a piece of paper. The suspect is recorded on film entering the 150 Tremont Cafeteria through the backdoor. After entering the cafe, he reportedly spoke with the Sodexho manager about applying for a job. It is at this point that the man's whereabouts are unknown.