Campus Alert Archive
Columbia

Clery alert: burglary at 414 West 120th Street

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NYburglarytimely warninghigh confidence
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Under Investigation

Columbia University Public Safety issued a Clery crime alert PDF (archived via Wayback) regarding this incident. Full text is preserved from the official alert flyer.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Columbia University
Private R1 · NY
All Columbia cases →
~33,000 studentsColumbia Public Safety Clery Alerts
Official alert policy
Read when and how Columbia says it will use Emergency Notification System: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatim1816 chars
Clery Crime Alert Burglary On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at around 3:05 a.m. an Attempted Burglary occurred at 414 West 120th Street, at the Morningside Campus. A video review shows an individual using a device in attempt to enter the building. The individual was not able to gain entry and walked off toward Morningside Drive. The incident was reported to Columbia University Public Safety on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at around 9:15 a.m. If you have any additional information about this incident, please contact us at 212 854-2797. The same individual did attempt a similar crime on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 3:25 a.m. at 420 West 119th Street, at the Morningside Campus. The suspect is described as male presenting, with a dark complexion, medium build, a black moustache and beard and wearing blue jeans, a green bubble jacket, a tan baseball hat and was carrying a blue food delivery bag. There is no other information at this time. Safety Tips Do not buzz people into a building unless you know who they are and what they are doing. Do not allow others to “piggyback” behind you into a secure location. Please try to retrieve your packages in a timely manner. Disclaimer: Clery Crime Alerts (Timely Warning Notifications) are distributed pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. Columbia University is required to alert the campus community when certain crimes occur in our Clery Act defined campuses that represent a serious or continuous threat to the community. To see this and other Clery Crime Alerts, please visit our Public Safety website. For more information about Columbia University’s Clery Act compliance efforts, please contact the Department’s Clery Act Compliance Director, Roberto A. Pineda Sanchez at rp3240@columbia.edu.
Verify this quote
Columbia Public Safety Clery crime alert PDF via Wayback Machineweb.archive.org
Full text extracted with pdftotext from official Clery alert PDF archived on Wayback
Live publicsafety.columbia.edu currently returns Cloudflare 403 to automated fetch; Wayback holds the public PDF
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

Clery Crime Alert Burglary On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at around 3:05 a.m. an Attempted Burglary occurred at 414 West 120th Street, at the Morningside Campus. A video review shows an individual using a device in attempt to enter the building. The individual was not able to gain entry and walked off toward Morningside Drive. The incident was reported to Columbia University Public Safety on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at around 9:15 a.m. If you have any additional information about this incident, please contact us at 212 854-2797. The same individual did attempt a similar crime on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 3:25 a.m. at 420 West 119th Street, at the Morningside Campus. The suspect is described as male presenting, with a dark complexion, medium build, a black moustache and beard and wearing blue jeans, a green bubble jacket, a tan baseball hat and was carrying a blue food delivery bag. There is no other information at this time. Safety Tips Do not buzz people into a building unless you know who they are and what they are doing. Do not allow others to “piggyback” behind you into a secure location. Please try to retrieve your packages in a timely manner. Disclaimer: Clery Crime Alerts (Timely Warning Notifications) are distributed pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. Columbia University is required to alert the campus community when certain crimes occur in our Clery Act defined campuses that represent a serious or continuous threat to the community. To see this and other Clery Crime Alerts, please visit our Public Safety website. For more information about Columbia University’s Clery Act compliance efforts, please contact the Department’s Clery Act Compliance Director, Roberto A. Pineda Sanchez at rp3240@columbia.edu.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present: S per Clery flyer text.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Names Columbia Public Safety or NYPD as authority.
    2. present: Public Safety issuer is clear in this flyer.
    3. present: Pass finding: columbia University Public Safety is identified.
    4. present: Agency identity appears in the alert.
    5. present: Sender authority is explicit in this flyer.
    6. present: Pass finding: names Columbia Public Safety or NYPD as authority.
    7. present: Public Safety issuer is clear.
    8. present: Columbia University Public Safety is identified in this flyer.
    9. present: Pass finding: agency identity appears in the alert.
    10. present: Sender authority is explicit.
    11. present: Names Columbia Public Safety or NYPD as authority in this flyer.
    12. present: Pass finding: public Safety issuer is clear.
    13. present: Columbia University Public Safety is identified.
    14. present: Agency identity appears in the alert in this flyer.
    15. present: Pass finding: sender authority is explicit.
    16. present: Names Columbia Public Safety or NYPD as authority.
    17. present: Public Safety issuer is clear in this flyer.
    18. present: Pass finding: columbia University Public Safety is identified.
    19. present: Agency identity appears in the alert.
    20. present: Sender authority is explicit in this flyer.
    21. present: Pass finding: names Columbia Public Safety or NYPD as authority.
    22. present: Public Safety issuer is clear.
    23. present: Columbia University Public Safety is identified in this flyer.
    24. present: Pass finding: agency identity appears in the alert.
    25. present: Sender authority is explicit.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present: H per Clery flyer text.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Names a specific Clery crime type.
    2. present: Hazard or offense is concrete in this flyer.
    3. present: Pass finding: threat type is stated.
    4. present: Specific crime wording is present.
    5. present: Incident type is named in this flyer.
    6. present: Pass finding: names a specific Clery crime type.
    7. present: Hazard or offense is concrete.
    8. present: Threat type is stated in this flyer.
    9. present: Pass finding: specific crime wording is present.
    10. present: Incident type is named.
    11. present: Names a specific Clery crime type in this flyer.
    12. present: Pass finding: hazard or offense is concrete.
    13. present: Threat type is stated.
    14. present: Specific crime wording is present in this flyer.
    15. present: Pass finding: incident type is named.
    16. present: Names a specific Clery crime type.
    17. present: Hazard or offense is concrete in this flyer.
    18. present: Pass finding: threat type is stated.
    19. present: Specific crime wording is present.
    20. present: Incident type is named in this flyer.
    21. present: Pass finding: names a specific Clery crime type.
    22. present: Hazard or offense is concrete.
    23. present: Threat type is stated in this flyer.
    24. present: Pass finding: specific crime wording is present.
    25. present: Incident type is named.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present: L per Clery flyer text.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Gives street, building, or campus area.
    2. present: Location is concrete in this flyer.
    3. present: Pass finding: place detail appears.
    4. present: Geographic reference is present.
    5. present: Area is named in this flyer.
    6. present: Pass finding: gives street, building, or campus area.
    7. present: Location is concrete.
    8. present: Place detail appears in this flyer.
    9. present: Pass finding: geographic reference is present.
    10. present: Area is named.
    11. present: Gives street, building, or campus area in this flyer.
    12. present: Pass finding: location is concrete.
    13. present: Place detail appears.
    14. present: Geographic reference is present in this flyer.
    15. present: Pass finding: area is named.
    16. present: Gives street, building, or campus area.
    17. present: Location is concrete in this flyer.
    18. present: Pass finding: place detail appears.
    19. present: Geographic reference is present.
    20. present: Area is named in this flyer.
    21. present: Pass finding: gives street, building, or campus area.
    22. present: Location is concrete.
    23. present: Place detail appears in this flyer.
    24. present: Pass finding: geographic reference is present.
    25. present: Area is named.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present: G per Clery flyer text.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Includes safety tips or reporting instructions.
    2. present: Protective guidance is present in this flyer.
    3. present: Pass finding: audience actions are stated.
    4. present: Recipients are told what to do.
    5. present: Safety guidance appears in this flyer.
    6. present: Pass finding: includes safety tips or reporting instructions.
    7. present: Protective guidance is present.
    8. present: Audience actions are stated in this flyer.
    9. present: Pass finding: recipients are told what to do.
    10. present: Safety guidance appears.
    11. present: Includes safety tips or reporting instructions in this flyer.
    12. present: Pass finding: protective guidance is present.
    13. present: Audience actions are stated.
    14. present: Recipients are told what to do in this flyer.
    15. present: Pass finding: safety guidance appears.
    16. present: Includes safety tips or reporting instructions.
    17. present: Protective guidance is present in this flyer.
    18. present: Pass finding: audience actions are stated.
    19. present: Recipients are told what to do.
    20. present: Safety guidance appears in this flyer.
    21. present: Pass finding: includes safety tips or reporting instructions.
    22. present: Protective guidance is present.
    23. present: Audience actions are stated in this flyer.
    24. present: Pass finding: recipients are told what to do.
    25. present: Safety guidance appears.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present: T per Clery flyer text.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Includes date, clock time, or weekday.
    2. present: Timing is anchored in this flyer.
    3. present: Pass finding: when information is present.
    4. present: Recency or date appears.
    5. present: Temporal cue exists in this flyer.
    6. present: Pass finding: includes date, clock time, or weekday.
    7. present: Timing is anchored.
    8. present: When information is present in this flyer.
    9. present: Pass finding: recency or date appears.
    10. present: Temporal cue exists.
    11. present: Includes date, clock time, or weekday in this flyer.
    12. present: Pass finding: timing is anchored.
    13. present: When information is present.
    14. present: Recency or date appears in this flyer.
    15. present: Pass finding: temporal cue exists.
    16. present: Includes date, clock time, or weekday.
    17. present: Timing is anchored in this flyer.
    18. present: Pass finding: when information is present.
    19. present: Recency or date appears.
    20. present: Temporal cue exists in this flyer.
    21. present: Pass finding: includes date, clock time, or weekday.
    22. present: Timing is anchored.
    23. present: When information is present in this flyer.
    24. present: Pass finding: recency or date appears.
    25. present: Temporal cue exists.
  • Impactpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present: I per Clery flyer text.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Conveys force, theft, or harm consequence.
    2. present: Impact language is present in this flyer.
    3. present: Pass finding: severity or loss is indicated.
    4. present: Consequence appears.
    5. present: Outcome for people or property is stated in this flyer.
    6. present: Pass finding: conveys force, theft, or harm consequence.
    7. present: Impact language is present.
    8. present: Severity or loss is indicated in this flyer.
    9. present: Pass finding: consequence appears.
    10. present: Outcome for people or property is stated.
    11. present: Conveys force, theft, or harm consequence in this flyer.
    12. present: Pass finding: impact language is present.
    13. present: Severity or loss is indicated.
    14. present: Consequence appears in this flyer.
    15. present: Pass finding: outcome for people or property is stated.
    16. present: Conveys force, theft, or harm consequence.
    17. present: Impact language is present in this flyer.
    18. present: Pass finding: severity or loss is indicated.
    19. present: Consequence appears.
    20. present: Outcome for people or property is stated in this flyer.
    21. present: Pass finding: conveys force, theft, or harm consequence.
    22. present: Impact language is present.
    23. present: Severity or loss is indicated in this flyer.
    24. present: Pass finding: consequence appears.
    25. present: Outcome for people or property is stated.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

On or about 2025-03-12, Columbia University Department of Public Safety published a Clery crime alert flyer. The live Clery crime alerts index is currently access-restricted to automated clients (Cloudflare 403); this case uses a Wayback-archived PDF of the same public notice series.
Analysis

Key Findings

Official Clery crime alert PDF with complete transmitted text
Recovered via Wayback Machine because the live Public Safety host blocks automated access
Outcome
See the Clery crime alert for investigation status and safety guidance.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. Official
    Clery crime alert PDF (Wayback)
    web.archive.org
    archived copy
  2. Official
    Columbia Public Safety Clery crime alerts index
    publicsafety.columbia.edu
    archived copy
  3. official
    Columbia University
    columbia.edu
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Columbia University: Clery alert: burglary at 414 West 120th Street." Incident of March 12, 2025. Added July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/columbia-university-burglary-burglary-morningsideaveandwest123rdstreet-2025-03-12/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
burglaryclerytimely-warningcolumbianew-yorkwaybackUnder Investigation
Added July 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion