Campus Alert Archive
OHIO

A Ski-Masked Man with a Knife in an Ewing Hall Dorm Room: Ohio University's Crime Alert 240552

OHburglarytimely warninghigh confidence
Under Investigation

At approximately 6:30 p.m. EST on Monday, November 4, 2024, a female Ohio University student reported seeing a man with a knife inside her residence hall room in Ewing Hall. The victim said the male likely entered her unlocked room while she was in the restroom. When she returned and saw the male, she screamed; he ran out. OUPD officers searched the area but did not locate the suspect, who was described as approximately 6'0" tall with a slim build, wearing dark sweatpants and a dark grey ski mask. Ohio University issued Crime Alert 240552 to the campus community.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Ohio University
Public R1 · OH
~28,000 studentsOHIO Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTmulti-channel
Verified verbatimOhio University Police Department official Crime Alert 240552 archive page695 chars
Crime Alert 240552: On November 4, 2024 at approximately 6:30 p.m., a female Ohio University student reported seeing a male with a knife inside her residence hall room in Ewing Hall. The victim advised that the male likely entered her unlocked room when she went to the restroom. When she returned from the restroom and saw the male, she screamed, at which point the male ran out of her room. OUPD officers thoroughly searched the area but did not locate the suspect. The suspect is described as approximately 6'0" tall with a slim build, wearing dark sweatpants and a dark grey ski mask. Anyone with information regarding this matter is encouraged to call 740-593-1911 or email police@ohio.edu.
Verbatim text confirmed against the official OUPD crime-alert archive page (Crime Alert 240552); the time (6:30 PM EST), building (Ewing Hall), suspect description ('approximately 6'0" tall with a slim build, wearing dark sweatpants and a dark grey ski mask'), and contact information (740-593-1911 / police@ohio.edu) are direct from the source
OUPD numbers its crime alerts sequentially across the academic year (240552 = 24-academic-year, 0552 sequence), allowing students to track the volume and pattern of crime alerts month-by-month
The phrase 'unlocked room when she went to the restroom' is the prevention message embedded in the alert — OUPD's choice to include this detail transforms the warning into a behavioral nudge for residence-hall students
Context

Background

Ohio University in Athens, Ohio is a public R1 doctoral institution and Mid-American Conference member with approximately 28,000 students across all campuses. The OHIO Alerts system uses a color-coded framework (GREEN/YELLOW/RED) for emergency notifications, with crime alerts issued separately by the Ohio University Police Department for Clery-Act-triggering crimes. On the evening of Monday, November 4, 2024, at approximately 6:30 p.m. EST, a female Ohio University student in Ewing Hall reported that she saw a man with a knife inside her residence hall room when she returned from a brief restroom trip. The intruder fled when she screamed. OUPD officers searched the area but did not locate the suspect, who was described in detail (height, build, clothing including a dark grey ski mask). OUPD issued Crime Alert 240552 to the campus community as a Clery Act timely warning given the burglary-with-weapon nature of the incident in a residence hall. The alert's inclusion of the 'unlocked room' detail reflects OUPD's design choice to combine notification with behavioral prevention messaging — emphasizing that even brief absences from a dorm room require locking the door. The November 4 incident occurred during the fall 2024 semester at a time when Ohio University was working through implementation of its new OHIO Alert color-coded design and accompanying website refresh.
Analysis

Key Findings

Crime Alert 240552's verbatim text is preserved on OUPD's official crime-alerts archive — making it one of the cleanest documented examples of a Big Ten-adjacent MAC institution's timely-warning practice in the archive
The 6:30 PM timing places the intruder during the dinner/evening transition when many students are away from dorm rooms — Ewing Hall is co-ed undergraduate housing on the South Green
The detailed suspect description (6'0", slim build, dark sweatpants, dark grey ski mask) gives students an actionable physical profile, contrasting with vague descriptions that often hamper bystander reporting
OUPD's choice to embed prevention messaging ('unlocked room when she went to the restroom') in the alert demonstrates how a timely warning can serve both Clery compliance and ongoing behavioral safety education
Outcome
No physical injury to the victim. The suspect fled before officers arrived. The investigation remained open with the suspect at large. OUPD encouraged anyone with information to call 740-593-1911 or email police@ohio.edu. The incident underscored campus messaging about locking residence-hall room doors even for brief absences such as restroom trips.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Crime Alert 240552 (Ohio University Police Department)
    ohio.edu
  2. Official
    Crime and Emergency Alerts (Ohio University Police Department)
    ohio.edu
  3. Official
    OHIO Alerts (Ohio University)
    ohio.edu
  4. Official
    Clery Crime Log (Ohio University)
    ohio.edu
  5. Official
    University Safety and Security: OHIO unveils new website and web alert design (Ohio University News, August 2024)
    ohio.edu
Tags
burglaryarmed-intruderkniferesidence-hallski-maskohiopublic-r1ohio-universityathensewing-hallmac-conferencetimely-warningunlocked-doorUnder Investigation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion