Campus Alert Archive
Princeton

Possibly rabid raccoon bites an undergraduate near Dod Hall; second attack next morning

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Confirmed Threat

On the night of December 4, 2023, a possibly rabid raccoon bit an undergraduate near Dod Hall and the Princeton University Art Museum construction site around 9:00 p.m. EST, prompting a campus message subject-lined 'TIGERALERT: Raccoon Bite.' A second person was attacked the next morning at a nearby Hibben Road home; both raccoons showed rabies-typical behavior such as chirping and unprovoked aggression.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Princeton University
Private R1 · NJ
All Princeton cases →
~8,500 studentsTigerAlert
Official alert policy
Read when and how Princeton says it will use TigerAlert (formerly PTENS): summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimPrinceton University official TigerAlert archive (AppArmor push notification system, alert ID 87108), confirmed by multiple media outlets quoting the same text677 chars
Last night, an undergraduate student was bitten by a raccoon on the Princeton University campus. While the encounter happened near the Art Museum neighborhood, several other raccoon encounters were also reported in the Municipality of Princeton this morning. The University is in contact with Animal Control from the Municipality of Princeton, who is working to capture the animal. The animal on campus and in the community exhibited behaviors consistent with infection from rabies virus. If you see or have an encounter with a raccoon on campus, leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety at 609-258-1000. Do not approach, feed, or touch wild or stray animals.
Verbatim from Princeton's official TigerAlert archive at princeton.apparmor.com (alert ID 87108), confirmed by NJ1015, CBS Philadelphia, Fox 29 Philadelphia, WHYY, and The Daily Princetonian, all quoting the same text.
The alert was issued the morning of December 5, 2023 (the day after the approximately 9:00 p.m. EST December 4 attack), which explains the phrase 'Last night, an undergraduate student was bitten.'
Issued as a discretionary health-and-safety advisory rather than a Clery timely warning, since an animal bite is not a Clery-reportable crime.
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.

Last night, an undergraduate student was bitten by a raccoon on the Princeton University campus. While the encounter happened near the Art Museum neighborhood, several other raccoon encounters were also reported in the Municipality of Princeton this morning. The University is in contact with Animal Control from the Municipality of Princeton, who is working to capture the animal. The animal on campus and in the community exhibited behaviors consistent with infection from rabies virus. If you see or have an encounter with a raccoon on campus, leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety at 609-258-1000. Do not approach, feed, or touch wild or stray animals.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree the source is present; it names The University and the Department of Public Safety.

    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: Refers to "The University" and "Department of Public Safety" as issuer.
    2. present: It names "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety", the issuer.
    3. present: Names "The University" and "Department of Public Safety", the issuing institution and authority.
    4. present: It names "The University" and "Department of Public Safety", identifying issuer and authority.
    5. present: Names "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety", identifying the sender.
    6. present: It names "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety", the issuing authority.
    7. present: It names "The University", "Animal Control", and "the Department of Public Safety", authorities.
    8. present: Names "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety" as the sender.
    9. present: Names "The University" and "Department of Public Safety" and "Animal Control".
    10. present: It names "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety".
    11. present: It names "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety".
    12. present: Names "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety".
    13. present: Names "The University" and "Department of Public Safety", the issuer.
    14. present: It names "The University" and "Department of Public Safety", identifying the sender.
    15. present: It names "The University", "Animal Control", and "the Department of Public Safety", the senders.
    16. present: Names "The University", "Department of Public Safety", and "Animal Control".
    17. present: It references "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety".
    18. present: It names "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety", the issuing authority.
    19. present: It names "the University", "Animal Control", and the "Department of Public Safety".
    20. present: It references "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety", identifying the sender.
    21. present: Names "The University" and "Department of Public Safety", the issuing authority.
    22. present: Names "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety".
    23. present: It names "The University" and "Department of Public Safety" as the institutional sender.
    24. present: It names "the University" and "Department of Public Safety", the issuing authority.
    25. present: It names "The University" and "the Department of Public Safety" as senders.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that the hazard is present; it names a raccoon bite with behaviors consistent with rabies.

    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 raccoon with "behaviors consistent with infection from rabies virus", a specific hazard.
    2. present: It names a student "bitten by a raccoon" exhibiting rabies behaviors, a specific hazard.
    3. present: Names "an undergraduate student was bitten by a raccoon" exhibiting rabies behavior, a specific hazard.
    4. present: It names a raccoon bite with behaviors "consistent with infection from rabies virus", a specific hazard.
    5. present: States "an undergraduate student was bitten by a raccoon" with rabies behaviors, a specific animal hazard.
    6. present: It names "a raccoon" with "behaviors consistent with infection from rabies virus", a specific hazard.
    7. present: It states a student "was bitten by a raccoon" exhibiting behaviors "consistent with infection from rabies virus", a specific hazard.
    8. present: States a student "was bitten by a raccoon" with "behaviors consistent with infection from rabies virus".
    9. present: States a student "was bitten by a raccoon" showing "rabies" behavior, a specific hazard.
    10. present: It names a "raccoon" with "rabies virus" behaviors, a specific hazard.
    11. present: It describes a "raccoon" with "rabies virus" behaviors, a specific animal hazard.
    12. present: Names a raccoon bite with "behaviors consistent with infection from rabies virus", a specific hazard.
    13. present: States a student "was bitten by a raccoon" with "behaviors consistent with infection from rabies", a specific hazard.
    14. present: It states a student "was bitten by a raccoon" exhibiting "rabies virus" behavior, a specific hazard.
    15. present: It names a "raccoon" exhibiting behaviors "consistent with infection from rabies virus", a specific hazard.
    16. present: Names a "raccoon" exhibiting behaviors "consistent with infection from rabies virus".
    17. present: It names a raccoon bite with "behaviors consistent with infection from rabies virus", a specific hazard.
    18. present: It names a student "bitten by a raccoon" exhibiting rabies behaviors, a specific animal hazard.
    19. present: It reports a raccoon bite and an animal showing "behaviors consistent with infection from rabies virus", a specific hazard.
    20. present: It reports a student "bitten by a raccoon" with "rabies virus", a specific named threat.
    21. present: States a student "was bitten by a raccoon" with rabies-consistent behavior, a specific hazard.
    22. present: Names "a raccoon" exhibiting "behaviors consistent with infection from rabies virus".
    23. present: It names "a raccoon" with "behaviors consistent with infection from rabies virus", a specific hazard.
    24. present: It names a raccoon with "behaviors consistent with infection from rabies virus", a specific hazard.
    25. present: It names a student "bitten by a raccoon" with rabies behavior, a specific animal hazard.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All reads agree a location is present, citing near the Art Museum neighborhood on the Princeton campus.

    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: Locates it "on the Princeton University campus", "near the Art Museum neighborhood".
    2. present: It says "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on campus, a specific place.
    3. present: Specifies "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on campus, a named place.
    4. present: It cites "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on "the Princeton University campus", specific places.
    5. present: Says "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on the Princeton campus, a specific place.
    6. present: It says "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on campus, a specific place.
    7. present: It cites "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on "the Princeton University campus", a location.
    8. present: Says "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on "the Princeton University campus", specific places.
    9. present: Locates it "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on campus.
    10. present: It says "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on the Princeton campus.
    11. present: It says "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on "the Princeton University campus".
    12. present: Locates it "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on campus.
    13. present: Says "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on campus, a specific location.
    14. present: It locates encounters "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on "the Princeton University campus".
    15. present: It cites "the Princeton University campus" and "near the Art Museum neighborhood", specific places.
    16. present: Says it happened "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on "the Princeton University campus".
    17. present: It locates it "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on the Princeton campus.
    18. present: It locates it "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on the Princeton campus.
    19. present: It locates it "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on campus.
    20. present: It locates it "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on "the Princeton University campus", specific places.
    21. present: Says "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on "the Princeton University campus".
    22. present: Specifies "the Art Museum neighborhood" on "the Princeton University campus".
    23. present: It locates encounters "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on campus.
    24. present: It names "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on campus.
    25. present: It locates it "near the Art Museum neighborhood" on campus.
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that guidance is present, instructing recipients to leave the area, contact Public Safety, and not approach animals.

    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: Instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety"; "Do not approach".
    2. present: It instructs recipients to "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and not approach animals.
    3. present: Instructs recipients to "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and not approach animals.
    4. present: It instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach ... animals", protective actions.
    5. present: Instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach ... animals".
    6. present: It instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach".
    7. present: It instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach" animals, protective actions.
    8. present: Instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach" animals.
    9. present: Instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach".
    10. present: It instructs to "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and not approach animals.
    11. present: It tells recipients to "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety".
    12. present: Instructs: "If you see... a raccoon on campus, leave the area and contact" DPS.
    13. present: Instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach", protective actions.
    14. present: It instructs recipients to "leave the area" and "Do not approach, feed, or touch wild or stray animals".
    15. present: It instructs recipients to "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach" animals, protective actions.
    16. present: Instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach, feed, or touch".
    17. present: It instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach".
    18. present: It instructs recipients to "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and not approach animals.
    19. present: It instructs people who see a raccoon to "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety".
    20. present: It instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach", protective actions.
    21. present: Tells recipients "leave the area and contact" DPS, and "Do not approach, feed, or touch" animals.
    22. present: Instructs "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety" and "Do not approach".
    23. present: It instructs people who see a raccoon to "leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety".
    24. present: It instructs "If you see... a raccoon on campus, leave the area and contact the Department of Public Safety".
    25. present: It instructs recipients to "leave the area" and "Do not approach, feed, or touch wild or stray animals".
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree timing is present, using last night and this morning.

    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: Says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    2. present: It says "Last night" and "this morning", recency references.
    3. present: Says "Last night" and "this morning", date and recency cues.
    4. present: It uses "Last night" and "this morning", conveying recency.
    5. present: Uses "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    6. present: It says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    7. present: It says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    8. present: Says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    9. present: Uses "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    10. present: It says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    11. present: It says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    12. present: Says "Last night" and "this morning", conveying recency.
    13. present: Uses "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    14. present: It uses recency cues "Last night" and "this morning".
    15. present: It uses "Last night" and "this morning", date and recency cues.
    16. present: Uses time cues "Last night" and "this morning".
    17. present: It says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    18. present: It uses recency cues "Last night" and "this morning".
    19. present: It says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    20. present: It says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    21. present: Says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    22. present: Uses recency cues "Last night" and "this morning".
    23. present: The phrases "Last night" and "this morning" convey recency.
    24. present: It says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
    25. present: It says "Last night" and "this morning", recency cues.
  • Impactpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present, unanimous. Reports a student bitten by a raccoon showing rabies-consistent behavior and warns not to approach animals, conveying a clear health hazard and potential consequence.

    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: States a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies-consistent behavior, an explicit injury and disease danger.
    2. present: It states a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting behaviors consistent with rabies infection, a clearly stated health danger.
    3. present: It reports a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies-consistent behavior and warns people to leave and not approach, conveying a clear health danger.
    4. present: It reports a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies-consistent behavior and warns to leave and not approach, conveying a clear danger of harm.
    5. present: States a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies behaviors and warns to leave the area and not approach, conveying danger of harm.
    6. present: Reports a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting behaviors consistent with rabies infection, conveying a clear health hazard.
    7. present: States a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies-consistent behavior and warns to leave and not approach, conveying disease harm.
    8. present: It states a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting behaviors consistent with rabies infection, conveying a clear health danger.
    9. present: Reports a student was bitten by a raccoon showing behaviors consistent with rabies infection, stating a clear health danger.
    10. present: It reports a student bitten by a raccoon showing behaviors consistent with rabies and warns people to leave and not approach animals, conveying a clear health danger.
    11. present: Reports a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies behaviors, a clearly stated harm and dangerous infection risk.
    12. present: It states a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting behaviors consistent with rabies, a clearly stated harm and dangerous disease risk.
    13. present: States a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies-consistent behavior and warns to leave and not approach animals, a clear stated harm.
    14. present: It reports a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting behavior consistent with rabies, a stated injury and disease risk.
    15. present: The text reports a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies-consistent behavior and warns to leave and not approach, conveying a health danger.
    16. present: States a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies-consistent behavior, conveying injury and the implied serious danger of rabies.
    17. present: It reports a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies-consistent behavior and warns to leave the area, a stated harm and danger.
    18. present: States a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies-consistent behavior and warns to leave the area, conveying clear harm and danger.
    19. present: States a student was bitten by a raccoon and that the animal showed behaviors consistent with rabies infection, conveying a clear health danger.
    20. present: States a student was bitten and that the animal showed behaviors consistent with rabies, warning to leave the area, conveying a clear health danger.
    21. present: Reports a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting behaviors consistent with rabies and warns to leave the area and not approach animals, conveying a health danger.
    22. present: Reports a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting rabies-consistent behavior, a clearly stated injury and dangerous disease risk.
    23. present: It states a student was bitten by a raccoon exhibiting behaviors consistent with rabies and warns people to leave the area and not approach animals.
    24. present: States a student was bitten by a raccoon showing behavior consistent with rabies and warns not to approach, a clear health harm.
    25. present: It reports a student was bitten by a raccoon showing rabies-consistent behavior and warns to leave the area, a clear stated harm and danger.

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

About this analysis
Context

Background

On the night of December 4, 2023, Kathleen Li '24 was bitten by a raccoon between Dod Hall and the Princeton University Art Museum construction site around 9:00 p.m. EST; a video she captured shows the animal darting under a fence and pouncing on her leg. Princeton issued a campus message subject-lined 'TIGERALERT: Raccoon Bite' the following day. Early the next morning a Hibben Road resident, blocks from campus, was attacked by a raccoon on their doorstep. Officials said both animals showed behaviors associated with rabies: chirping, unprovoked aggression, and no fear of humans, and that the student received post-exposure treatment while the resident was unharmed. The University coordinated with the Municipality of Princeton's Animal Control. The case shows how a wildlife-borne disease risk produces a branded campus alert (TigerAlert) with concrete reporting instructions, even though it falls outside Clery's crime framework.
Analysis

Key Findings

Princeton used its branded TigerAlert channel for a wildlife/rabies advisory subject-lined 'TIGERALERT: Raccoon Bite,' not a Clery timely warning
Two attacks within roughly twelve hours (a student near Dod Hall on December 4, 2023 and a resident on Hibben Road the next morning) both involved raccoons showing rabies-typical behavior
The bitten student received post-exposure rabies treatment, and the alert directed the community to call DPS at 609-258-1000 rather than approach the animal
Outcome
The student received post-exposure rabies treatment; the resident escaped injury. Princeton coordinated with municipal Animal Control to capture the animal and urged the community to avoid raccoons and report encounters to the Department of Public Safety.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Student captures her own raccoon attack on film - The Daily Princetonian
    dailyprincetonian.com
    archived copy
  2. News
    Princeton on high alert after possibly rabid raccoon attacks 2 people - CBS Philadelphia
    cbsnews.com
    archived copy
  3. News
    Rabies virus: NJ health officials warn after 2 raccoon attacks near Princeton University - 6abc Philadelphia
    6abc.com
    archived copy
  4. Official
    TigerAlert official archive - Princeton University (Alert ID 87108)
    princeton.apparmor.com
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Princeton University: Possibly rabid raccoon bites an undergraduate near Dod Hall; second attack next morning." Incident of December 4, 2023. Added May 2026; last updated June 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/princeton-university-rabid-raccoon-2023-12-04/

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

Tags
wildliferaccoonrabiesadvisorynew-jerseyhealth-advisoryprinceton
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion