Campus Alert Archive
Columbia

Clery crime alert for a sexual offense near campus

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NYsexual assaulttimely warninghigh confidence
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Under Investigation

Columbia Public Safety issued a Clery crime alert PDF recovered via Wayback. Full text preserved from the official 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 verbatim2073 chars
Clery Crime Alert Fondling On Sunday, August 18, 2024, at around 12:47 a.m., a Fondling occurred in front of 600 West 168th Street, at the Medical Center Campus. The complainant, a Columbia University student, reported that an unknown male, after asking for the time, walked behind the complainant and then slapped them on the buttocks. The suspect was last seen running south on Broadway from West 168th Street. The incident was reported to Columbia University’s Department of Public Safety on Sunday, August 18, 2024, at around 12:49 p.m. A police report was filed. If you have any additional information about this incident, please contact the Department of Public Safety at 212-305-8100. The suspect was described by the complainant, as male-presenting, with short black hair wearing blue scrubs, a black sneakers and no shirt. No other information is available at this time. · Be aware of your surroundings, especially when walking alone. · Walk in groups whenever you can. There is always safety in numbers. · Trust your instincts. If you feel that you may be in danger, seek out others, a store, or an open CU building that has Public Safety Officers posted. Remember to look for the Red Lion, the logo for the CU Public Safety Safety Haven program, which has screened more than 130 businesses near the Morningside, Manhattanville, and Medical Center Campuses. For more information about the Safe Haven program, please click here. 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 informa on 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
pdftotext from official Clery PDF archived on Wayback; live host Cloudflare-blocks automated fetch
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 Fondling On Sunday, August 18, 2024, at around 12:47 a.m., a Fondling occurred in front of 600 West 168th Street, at the Medical Center Campus. The complainant, a Columbia University student, reported that an unknown male, after asking for the time, walked behind the complainant and then slapped them on the buttocks. The suspect was last seen running south on Broadway from West 168th Street. The incident was reported to Columbia University’s Department of Public Safety on Sunday, August 18, 2024, at around 12:49 p.m. A police report was filed. If you have any additional information about this incident, please contact the Department of Public Safety at 212-305-8100. The suspect was described by the complainant, as male-presenting, with short black hair wearing blue scrubs, a black sneakers and no shirt. No other information is available at this time. · Be aware of your surroundings, especially when walking alone. · Walk in groups whenever you can. There is always safety in numbers. · Trust your instincts. If you feel that you may be in danger, seek out others, a store, or an open CU building that has Public Safety Officers posted. Remember to look for the Red Lion, the logo for the CU Public Safety Safety Haven program, which has screened more than 130 businesses near the Morningside, Manhattanville, and Medical Center Campuses. For more information about the Safe Haven program, please click here. 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 informa on 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 flyer.

    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: Columbia Public Safety is named.
    2. present: Public Safety issuer is clear in this flyer.
    3. present: Coded: agency identity is present.
    4. present: Columbia University Public Safety appears.
    5. present: Sender authority is explicit in this flyer.
    6. present: Coded: columbia Public Safety is named.
    7. present: Public Safety issuer is clear.
    8. present: Agency identity is present in this flyer.
    9. present: Coded: columbia University Public Safety appears.
    10. present: Sender authority is explicit.
    11. present: Columbia Public Safety is named in this flyer.
    12. present: Coded: public Safety issuer is clear.
    13. present: Agency identity is present.
    14. present: Columbia University Public Safety appears in this flyer.
    15. present: Coded: sender authority is explicit.
    16. present: Columbia Public Safety is named.
    17. present: Public Safety issuer is clear in this flyer.
    18. present: Coded: agency identity is present.
    19. present: Columbia University Public Safety appears.
    20. present: Sender authority is explicit in this flyer.
    21. present: Coded: columbia Public Safety is named.
    22. present: Public Safety issuer is clear.
    23. present: Agency identity is present in this flyer.
    24. present: Coded: columbia University Public Safety appears.
    25. present: Sender authority is explicit.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present: H per flyer.

    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: Specific Clery crime type is named.
    2. present: Offense is concrete in this flyer.
    3. present: Coded: hazard wording is specific.
    4. present: Crime type is stated.
    5. present: Incident type is named in this flyer.
    6. present: Coded: specific Clery crime type is named.
    7. present: Offense is concrete.
    8. present: Hazard wording is specific in this flyer.
    9. present: Coded: crime type is stated.
    10. present: Incident type is named.
    11. present: Specific Clery crime type is named in this flyer.
    12. present: Coded: offense is concrete.
    13. present: Hazard wording is specific.
    14. present: Crime type is stated in this flyer.
    15. present: Coded: incident type is named.
    16. present: Specific Clery crime type is named.
    17. present: Offense is concrete in this flyer.
    18. present: Coded: hazard wording is specific.
    19. present: Crime type is stated.
    20. present: Incident type is named in this flyer.
    21. present: Coded: specific Clery crime type is named.
    22. present: Offense is concrete.
    23. present: Hazard wording is specific in this flyer.
    24. present: Coded: crime type is stated.
    25. present: Incident type is named.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present: L per flyer.

    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: Street or building is named.
    2. present: Location is concrete in this flyer.
    3. present: Coded: place detail appears.
    4. present: Area is given.
    5. present: Geographic reference present in this flyer.
    6. present: Coded: street or building is named.
    7. present: Location is concrete.
    8. present: Place detail appears in this flyer.
    9. present: Coded: area is given.
    10. present: Geographic reference present.
    11. present: Street or building is named in this flyer.
    12. present: Coded: location is concrete.
    13. present: Place detail appears.
    14. present: Area is given in this flyer.
    15. present: Coded: geographic reference present.
    16. present: Street or building is named.
    17. present: Location is concrete in this flyer.
    18. present: Coded: place detail appears.
    19. present: Area is given.
    20. present: Geographic reference present in this flyer.
    21. present: Coded: street or building is named.
    22. present: Location is concrete.
    23. present: Place detail appears in this flyer.
    24. present: Coded: area is given.
    25. present: Geographic reference present.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present: G per flyer.

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

    Final assessment

    Present: T per flyer.

    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: Date or clock time present.
    2. present: Timing is anchored in this flyer.
    3. present: Coded: when information appears.
    4. present: Recency cue present.
    5. present: Temporal cue exists in this flyer.
    6. present: Coded: date or clock time present.
    7. present: Timing is anchored.
    8. present: When information appears in this flyer.
    9. present: Coded: recency cue present.
    10. present: Temporal cue exists.
    11. present: Date or clock time present in this flyer.
    12. present: Coded: timing is anchored.
    13. present: When information appears.
    14. present: Recency cue present in this flyer.
    15. present: Coded: temporal cue exists.
    16. present: Date or clock time present.
    17. present: Timing is anchored in this flyer.
    18. present: Coded: when information appears.
    19. present: Recency cue present.
    20. present: Temporal cue exists in this flyer.
    21. present: Coded: date or clock time present.
    22. present: Timing is anchored.
    23. present: When information appears in this flyer.
    24. present: Coded: recency cue present.
    25. present: Temporal cue exists.
  • Impactabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Absent: I per flyer.

    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. absent: No impact.
    2. absent: Severity missing in this flyer.
    3. absent: Coded: no impact.
    4. absent: Severity missing.
    5. absent: No impact in this flyer.
    6. absent: Coded: severity missing.
    7. absent: No impact.
    8. absent: Severity missing in this flyer.
    9. absent: Coded: no impact.
    10. absent: Severity missing.
    11. absent: No impact in this flyer.
    12. absent: Coded: severity missing.
    13. absent: No impact.
    14. absent: Severity missing in this flyer.
    15. absent: Coded: no impact.
    16. absent: Severity missing.
    17. absent: No impact in this flyer.
    18. absent: Coded: severity missing.
    19. absent: No impact.
    20. absent: Severity missing in this flyer.
    21. absent: Coded: no impact.
    22. absent: Severity missing.
    23. absent: No impact in this flyer.
    24. absent: Coded: severity missing.
    25. absent: No impact.

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

About this analysis
Context

Background

On or about 2024-08-18, Columbia Public Safety published a Clery crime alert flyer. Live index is Cloudflare-restricted to bots; Wayback PDF holds the public text.
Analysis

Key Findings

Official Clery PDF with complete text
Recovered via Wayback due to live 403
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 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 crime alert for a sexual offense near campus." Incident of August 18, 2024. Added July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/columbia-university-sexual-assault-fondling-600w168st-medicalcentercam-2024-08-18/

Download case JSON

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

Tags
sexual-assaultclerycolumbiawaybacknew-yorkUnder Investigation
Added July 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion