Campus Alert Archive
MIT

Timely warning for May 2024 burglary at Alpha Delta Phi

AI-generated · every claim is source-linked
MAburglarytimely warninghigh confidence
Compare →
Under Investigation

MIT Police issued a timely warning for a burglary at Alpha Delta Phi, published in the MIT timely-warnings archive.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Private R1 · MA
All MIT cases →
~12,000 studentsMIT Police Timely Warnings
Official alert policy
Read when and how MIT says it will use MIT Alert: 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 verbatim2570 chars
On May 15, 2024, at 12:20 p.m., the MIT Police responded to Alpha Delta Phi, an MIT fraternity located at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge on a report of a burglary. The reporting party stated that at 03:51a.m., a male suspect forcibly broke through the front door and entered the residence. The suspect then stole a backpack containing a play station console, game cartridges, attachments and a guitar in a soft case.      According to video surveillance provided by the fraternity, the suspect appears to be a male, unknown race, medium build, wearing a white cowboy hat, light blue short-sleeve t-shirt and dark blue pants. While victims of crimes are never to blame for criminal activity, there are some precautions that can be taken. In order to protect yourself and your belongings from theft and/or facilitate the recovery of your stolen property, MIT Police encourage you to follow these tips: ·           Immediately notify the MIT Police at 617-253-1212 or 100 from any campus phone if you believe a crime is occurring, has occurred, or is about to occur. ·         Always lock your residential doors and windows. Assure that the locks are in good working order. Close and lock first floor windows at night or when not at home. If windows have a box air conditioner, consider using a brace to prevent intruders from using those windows a way to gain entry. ·         Lock your residential door if you are leaving (even if only for a minute or two). ·         When entering or exiting a residence or, make sure the door closes tightly behind you. ·         Report suspicious people or activity. Report all tailgaters. The MIT Police want to remind the MIT community that we are located in an urban setting and share many of the crime and safety issues that exist in any city. The MIT Police are investigating this crime and request the assistance from the MIT community.  If you wish to leave an anonymous tip please call 617-258-TIPS (8-8477). MIT Police Crime Prevention/Community Policing Unit MIT Police 565-570 Memorial Drive Cambridge, Ma. 02139 617-253-1212 565-570 Memorial Drive Building W91 Cambridge, MA 02139 Directions 24/7 Emergency(617) 253-1212 Non-Emergency (617) 253-2996 Anonymous Tips (617) 258-8477 TDD/TTY please use TRS (711) Details Office (617) 253-9754
Verify this quote
MIT Police timely warningpolice.mit.edufind archived copies
Full official MITPD timely-warning body from police.mit.edu.
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.

On May 15, 2024, at 12:20 p.m., the MIT Police responded to Alpha Delta Phi, an MIT fraternity located at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge on a report of a burglary. The reporting party stated that at 03:51a.m., a male suspect forcibly broke through the front door and entered the residence. The suspect then stole a backpack containing a play station console, game cartridges, attachments and a guitar in a soft case.      According to video surveillance provided by the fraternity, the suspect appears to be a male, unknown race, medium build, wearing a white cowboy hat, light blue short-sleeve t-shirt and dark blue pants. While victims of crimes are never to blame for criminal activity, there are some precautions that can be taken. In order to protect yourself and your belongings from theft and/or facilitate the recovery of your stolen property, MIT Police encourage you to follow these tips: ·           Immediately notify the MIT Police at 617-253-1212 or 100 from any campus phone if you believe a crime is occurring, has occurred, or is about to occur. ·         Always lock your residential doors and windows. Assure that the locks are in good working order. Close and lock first floor windows at night or when not at home. If windows have a box air conditioner, consider using a brace to prevent intruders from using those windows a way to gain entry. ·         Lock your residential door if you are leaving (even if only for a minute or two). ·         When entering or exiting a residence or, make sure the door closes tightly behind you. ·         Report suspicious people or activity. Report all tailgaters. The MIT Police want to remind the MIT community that we are located in an urban setting and share many of the crime and safety issues that exist in any city. The MIT Police are investigating this crime and request the assistance from the MIT community.  If you wish to leave an anonymous tip please call 617-258-TIPS (8-8477). MIT Police Crime Prevention/Community Policing Unit MIT Police 565-570 Memorial Drive Cambridge, Ma. 02139 617-253-1212 565-570 Memorial Drive Building W91 Cambridge, MA 02139 Directions 24/7 Emergency(617) 253-1212 Non-Emergency (617) 253-2996 Anonymous Tips (617) 258-8477 TDD/TTY please use TRS (711) Details Office (617) 253-9754

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 agree (1): Identifies "the MIT Police" as responding to Alpha Delta Phi on the report.

    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: Identifies "the MIT Police" as responding to Alpha Delta Phi on the report.
    2. present: Because MIT Police are credited as the responding agency on the burglary report.
    3. present: Checklist pass: MIT Police is named as the responding and investigating authority.
    4. present: MIT Police are the ones who responded and are asking the community for help.
    5. present: The MIT Police are named as the agency that responded and that issues the community notice.
    6. present: MIT Police is named as the agency that responded to Alpha Delta Phi and is seeking community tips.
    7. present: src: MIT Police responded and investigating.
    8. present: MIT Police is named as the agency that responded to the Alpha Delta Phi burglary report.
    9. present: "MIT Police" responded and relay video-based suspect details plus tips.
    10. present: Second glance still names MIT Police as the body that responded and published the alert.
    11. present: Source quality is solid: MIT Police is named as the responding unit and investigation lead.
    12. present: MIT Police are identified as the agency that responded to the burglary report.
    13. present: The MIT Police is identified as the responding and advising authority that received the burglary report and presented the surveillance description.
    14. present: MIT Police responded and is investigating.
    15. present: The account is presented as an MIT Police response narrative and may be treated as an official source.
    16. present: MIT Police responded to the call and are the voice of this alert.
    17. present: The text presents the MIT Police as the responding investigators and concludes source is present.
    18. present: Present because the MIT Police are named as the agency that responded to the burglary.
    19. present: Source is MIT Police who responded to the report and provided the prevention tips.
    20. present: MIT Police is identified as the agency that responded, a source cue that would disappear without that name.
    21. present: Names MIT Police as the agency that responded to the burglary report.
    22. present: The response is attributed to the MIT Police, who are investigating the case.
    23. present: The alert names the MIT Police as the agency that responded and is investigating.
    24. present: Recipients can identify MIT Police as the source that responded and described the video of the suspect.
    25. present: Shows the MIT Police as the responding agency on the burglary report.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 agree (1): Reports a "burglary" where a suspect "forcibly broke through the front door" and stole electronics and a guitar.

    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: Reports a "burglary" where a suspect "forcibly broke through the front door" and stole electronics and a guitar.
    2. present: Since the alert reports a burglary with forced entry through the front door.
    3. present: Checklist pass: forced front door break-in burglary with theft from the residence is the hazard.
    4. present: A male suspect forced the front door and stole property, which is the burglary hazard.
    5. present: The hazard is a burglary in which a male suspect forced the front door and entered the residence.
    6. present: The core hazard is a forced-entry burglary in which a male suspect broke through the front door.
    7. present: hazard: burglary via forced front-door break-in.
    8. present: MIT Police reports a burglary in which a male suspect forcibly broke through the front door and stole property.
    9. present: "burglary" is named after a suspect "forcibly broke through the front door" and stole gear.
    10. present: Look again: the hazard is a forced front-door break-in and theft of gaming gear and a guitar.
    11. present: Burglary via forced front-door breach is the stated hazard, not a generic crime reference.
    12. present: The alert describes a forced-entry burglary with a backpack, gaming gear, and a guitar stolen.
    13. present: The hazard is a burglary in which a male suspect forcibly broke through the front door and removed property from the residence.
    14. present: Burglary: suspect forced the front door and stole gear.
    15. present: The hazard appears to be forced-entry residential burglary with subsequent property theft.
    16. present: A male suspect forced the front door and burglarized the place.
    17. present: The text describes a burglary with forced front-door entry and theft of a backpack, PlayStation, and guitar and concludes the hazard is clear.
    18. present: Present because a male suspect forcibly broke through the front door and stole a backpack with a PlayStation, games, and a guitar.
    19. present: Hazard is burglary where a male suspect forcibly broke through the front door and stole property.
    20. present: Burglary with forced front-door entry is the specific hazard; without it the threat type would be unknown.
    21. present: Identifies a burglary where a male suspect forced the front door and stole goods.
    22. present: A burglary is reported after the front door was forcibly broken and property was stolen.
    23. present: The alert describes a burglary in which a male suspect forcibly broke through the front door.
    24. present: Recipients face a burglary where a male suspect forcibly broke through the front door and stole items.
    25. present: Identifies burglary after a male suspect forcibly broke through the front door.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 agree (1): Sets the scene at "Alpha Delta Phi, an MIT fraternity located at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge."

    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: Sets the scene at "Alpha Delta Phi, an MIT fraternity located at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge."
    2. present: Because the location is Alpha Delta Phi at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    3. present: Checklist pass: Alpha Delta Phi at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge is specified.
    4. present: It took place at Alpha Delta Phi at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    5. present: The offense is located at Alpha Delta Phi, 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    6. present: It places the break-in at Alpha Delta Phi, 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    7. present: loc: Alpha Delta Phi, 351 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge.
    8. present: MIT Police places the incident at Alpha Delta Phi, an MIT fraternity at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    9. present: "Alpha Delta Phi" at "351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge" is the address.
    10. present: A second pass places it at Alpha Delta Phi, 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    11. present: Alpha Delta Phi at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge is an unambiguous location for peer operational review.
    12. present: It places the event at Alpha Delta Phi, 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    13. present: The location is stated as Alpha Delta Phi, an MIT fraternity at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, with entry through the front door.
    14. present: Alpha Delta Phi at 351 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge.
    15. present: The incident is situated at Alpha Delta Phi, 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    16. present: It is Alpha Delta Phi again at 351 Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge.
    17. present: The text sets the event at Alpha Delta Phi, 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge and concludes location is present.
    18. present: Present because the residence is Alpha Delta Phi at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    19. present: Location is Alpha Delta Phi at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    20. present: Alpha Delta Phi at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge locates the break-in that would be unplaced if omitted.
    21. present: Places the crime at Alpha Delta Phi at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    22. present: The scene is given as Alpha Delta Phi at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    23. present: The alert places the crime at Alpha Delta Phi, 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    24. present: Recipients place the crime at Alpha Delta Phi, 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
    25. present: States Alpha Delta Phi at 351 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge as the site.
  • Guidancepresent20/25

    Final assessment

    Majority 20/25 codes 1: Encourages tips such as locking residential doors and windows and notifying MIT Police if a crime is occurring.

    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: Encourages tips such as locking residential doors and windows and notifying MIT Police if a crime is occurring.
    2. present: Since protective tips tell people to lock doors, watch for tailgaters, and call MIT Police.
    3. absent: Checklist fail: the tips section only reaches Immediate before cutoff with no complete action item for recipients.
    4. present: The alert tells people to lock residential doors and windows, report tailgaters, and notify MIT Police about crimes.
    5. absent: Protective tips are promised but the available text ends before any actionable instruction is completed.
    6. present: The alert pushes locking doors and windows, reporting tailgaters, and calling MIT Police or the anonymous tip line.
    7. present: guidance: lock residential doors/windows; notify MITPD; report tailgaters.
    8. absent: MIT Police begins theft prevention tips but the provided text cuts off before any complete recipient instruction appears.
    9. present: "precautions that can be taken" begin the standard MIT Police theft-prevention list.
    10. present: On re-read, recipients are told to lock up, avoid tailgating, and notify MIT Police if a crime is underway.
    11. present: Standard protective actions are present: lock residences, prevent tailgating, and notify MIT Police immediately when needed.
    12. present: Recipients are coached to lock residences, watch for tailgaters, and notify MIT Police promptly.
    13. present: MIT Police expressly encourages recipients to follow protective tips for safeguarding persons and property and for facilitating recovery of stolen items.
    14. present: Notify MIT Police at 617-253-1212 or 100; lock doors and windows; report tailgaters.
    15. absent: Guidance is only initiated and truncated mid-phrase, so complete recipient advice cannot be coded from the given text.
    16. present: They give you the standard tips about locking doors and windows and looping in MIT Police if crime is happening.
    17. present: The text urges locking doors and windows, reporting suspicious activity, and calling MIT Police and concludes guidance is present.
    18. present: Present because MIT Police urge locking doors and windows, reporting suspicious people, and calling 617-253-1212.
    19. present: Guidance tells recipients to notify MIT Police immediately lock residential doors and windows and report suspicious people or activity.
    20. present: Notify MIT Police, lock residential doors, and report suspicious people are recipient-directed steps a bare summary would lack.
    21. present: Urges recipients to lock doors and windows and to notify MIT Police about crime.
    22. present: Precautions are encouraged so belongings can be protected, with tips introduced after the suspect description.
    23. present: The alert directs recipients to lock doors and windows, watch for tailgaters, and call MIT Police about crimes.
    24. absent: Recipients only see a cut off tips lead-in at Immediate with no usable protective steps in the given text.
    25. present: Gives locking, tailgating, and immediate MIT Police notification tips to readers.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 agree (1): Gives police response "On May 15, 2024, at 12:20 p.m." and break-in "at 03:51a.m."

    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: Gives police response "On May 15, 2024, at 12:20 p.m." and break-in "at 03:51a.m."
    2. present: Because it timestamps the response on May 15, 2024 at 12:20 p.m. and entry at 03:51 a.m.
    3. present: Checklist pass: response is at 12:20 p.m. on May 15, 2024 with the break-in at 03:51 a.m.
    4. present: Police responded on May 15, 2024 at 12:20 p.m., and the break-in was around 3:51 a.m.
    5. present: Response is recorded at 12:20 p.m. on May 15, 2024, with forced entry at 03:51 a.m.
    6. present: The crime is timed at 03:51 a.m., with police response at 12:20 p.m. on May 15, 2024.
    7. present: time: response May 15 2024 12:20 p.m.; entry 03:51 a.m.
    8. present: MIT Police responded on May 15, 2024 at 12:20 p.m. for a break-in said to have occurred at 03:51 a.m.
    9. present: "May 15, 2024, at 12:20 p.m." is the response after entry at "03:51a.m."
    10. present: Second look still records the 03:51 a.m. entry and the May 15, 2024, 12:20 p.m. response.
    11. present: Police response is at 12:20 p.m. on May 15, 2024, with the break-in timed at 03:51 a.m.
    12. present: The notice lists May 15, 2024 at 12:20 p.m. for the response and 03:51 a.m. for the break-in.
    13. present: The response is placed on May 15, 2024, at 12:20 p.m., with the forced entry and theft timed at 03:51 a.m.
    14. present: Police at 12:20 p.m. May 15, 2024; break-in about 03:51 a.m.
    15. present: Dates and times include a May 15, 2024 response at 12:20 p.m. and entry at approximately 03:51 a.m.
    16. present: Police got there May 15, 2024 at 12:20 p.m., and the break-in was at 03:51 a.m.
    17. present: The text gives May 15, 2024 at 12:20 p.m. for the response and 03:51 a.m. for the break-in and concludes time is present.
    18. present: Present because police responded on May 15, 2024 at 12:20 p.m. and the break-in is timed at 03:51 a.m.
    19. present: Time is May 15 2024 with response at 12:20 p.m. and the forced entry at 03:51 a.m.
    20. present: May 15, 2024 at 12:20 p.m. response and 03:51 a.m. entry mark recency that would be absent without those times.
    21. present: Timestamps the police response at 12:20 p.m. on May 15, 2024, after a 03:51 a.m. break-in.
    22. present: Police response is timed at 12:20 p.m. on May 15, 2024, with entry placed at 03:51 a.m.
    23. present: The alert gives a response at 12:20 p.m. on May 15, 2024, and an entry time of 03:51 a.m.
    24. present: Recipients get May 15, 2024 at 12:20 p.m. for the police response and 03:51 a.m. for the forced entry.
    25. present: Notes May 15, 2024, at 12:20 p.m. response after a 03:51 a.m. break-in.
  • Impactpresent21/25

    Final assessment

    Majority 21/25 codes 1: Since a backpack with a console, games, and a guitar was stolen after forced entry.

    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: Describes forced entry and theft without stating injuries, danger, or other severity language.
    2. present: Since a backpack with a console, games, and a guitar was stolen after forced entry.
    3. present: Checklist pass: a backpack with a PlayStation console, cartridges, attachments, and a guitar are named as losses.
    4. present: The front door was forced open, and a backpack with a PlayStation, games, gear, and a guitar were stolen.
    5. present: Severity is expanded by forced entry plus theft of a backpack, console, games, and a guitar.
    6. present: A backpack with a PlayStation, games, attachments, and a guitar in a soft case was stolen after the door was forced.
    7. present: impact: backpack with PlayStation, games, gear plus guitar taken.
    8. present: MIT Police states a backpack with a PlayStation console, game cartridges, attachments, and a guitar were stolen.
    9. present: A "play station console, game cartridges, attachments and a guitar" were stolen after forced entry.
    10. present: Re-checking shows a forced entry plus a stolen backpack of console gear and a guitar, not hazard label alone.
    11. present: Severity exceeds the hazard name alone: forced entry plus theft of a backpack with console, games, and a guitar.
    12. absent: Impact is limited to listing stolen property with no injuries or severity rating given.
    13. present: Beyond the burglary designation, the notice itemizes a backpack containing a play station console, game cartridges, attachments, and a guitar, and supplies a clothing description of the suspect.
    14. present: Backpack with PlayStation, games, attachments, and a soft-case guitar taken; male in white cowboy hat on video.
    15. present: Impact includes theft of a backpack with a PlayStation console, game cartridges, attachments, and a guitar in a soft case.
    16. present: He stole a backpack with a PlayStation, games and attachments, plus a guitar in a soft case.
    17. absent: The text recounts forced entry and stolen goods without severity language beyond the burglary label and concludes impact is absent.
    18. absent: Absent because forced entry and stolen items describe the burglary itself without added injury or severity language.
    19. present: Impact is theft of a backpack holding a PlayStation console game cartridges attachments and a guitar in a soft case.
    20. present: A PlayStation, games, attachments, and a guitar in a soft case state loss beyond the burglary name alone.
    21. present: Details theft of a backpack with a PlayStation, games, attachments, and a guitar.
    22. present: A backpack with a PlayStation, games, attachments, and a guitar in a soft case is named as the loss.
    23. present: The alert lists a stolen backpack with a PlayStation, games, attachments, and a guitar in a soft case.
    24. present: Recipients learn a backpack with a PlayStation console, games, attachments, and a guitar in a soft case were taken.
    25. present: Identifies a stolen backpack with a PlayStation, games, attachments, and a guitar.

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

About this analysis
Context

Background

MIT Police publishes Clery timely warnings on police.mit.edu. This notice for Alpha Delta Phi is recovered from the official crime-alert page.
Analysis

Key Findings

Official MITPD timely-warning narrative
Outcome
MIT Police investigation; prevention tips included in the notice.
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
    MIT Police timely warning
    police.mit.edu
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Timely warning for May 2024 burglary at Alpha Delta Phi." Incident of May 15, 2024. Added July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/mit-alpha-delta-phi-burglary-2024-05-15/

Download case JSON

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

Tags
burglarytimely-warningmit2024Under Investigation
Added July 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion