Campus Alert Archive
UH Mānoa

Electrical-room burglary severed fiber lines, cutting service to nearby campus buildings

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HIburglarytimely warninghigh confidence
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Confirmed Threat

On Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 AM HST, an unknown individual gained entry to the electrical room at Webster Hall on the UH Mānoa campus and caused significant damage to fiber-optic cables. The attack knocked out phone and internet services across Gilmore Hall, Spalding Hall, Hamilton Library, and the Agricultural Engineering Institute, and also disrupted power across eleven campus buildings including the Campus Center and Athletics Department. The UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety issued a Clery timely warning the following day requesting tips and warning the community about ongoing suspicious activity.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Public R1 · HI
All UH Mānoa cases →
~17,500 studentsUH Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how UH Mānoa says it will use UH Rave 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 ALERTWebsite
Verified verbatim810 chars
Burglary at Webster Hall: Yesterday, Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m., a burglary was reported at Webster Hall at UH Mānoa. Unknown individual(s) gained entry into the electrical room within Webster Hall. The individual(s) caused significant damage to the fiber optic cables located inside the electrical room disrupting phone and internet services within Gilmore Hall, Spalding Hall, Hamilton Library, and the Agricultural Engineering Institute. UH ITS is working to restore services to the affected buildings. Honolulu Police are investigating. The UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS) requests notification at (808) 956-6911 or the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) at 911 if you have any information regarding this incident or if you observe suspicious people, vehicles, or activity on campus.
Verify this quote
UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety official bulletinmanoa.hawaii.eduarchived copy
The DPS bulletin was published Sunday February 9 (one day after the Saturday February 8 burglary) illustrating the Clery 'timely warning' standard where the obligation is to alert promptly once the continuing-threat assessment is complete, not in real time
The bulletin is unusually informational rather than directive: no 'avoid the area', no 'shelter in place' language, because the threat had ceased before discovery. Instead the alert recruits the campus community as crime-tip witnesses
The four named buildings represent a strikingly diverse impact for a single electrical-room intrusion: Gilmore Hall (CTAHR offices), Spalding Hall (Korean Studies), Hamilton Library (the main library), and the Agricultural Engineering Institute
Notable for what it omits: no description of suspects, no mention of motive, no estimated cost of damage
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.

Burglary at Webster Hall: Yesterday, Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m., a burglary was reported at Webster Hall at UH Mānoa. Unknown individual(s) gained entry into the electrical room within Webster Hall. The individual(s) caused significant damage to the fiber optic cables located inside the electrical room disrupting phone and internet services within Gilmore Hall, Spalding Hall, Hamilton Library, and the Agricultural Engineering Institute. UH ITS is working to restore services to the affected buildings. Honolulu Police are investigating. The UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS) requests notification at (808) 956-6911 or the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) at 911 if you have any information regarding this incident or if you observe suspicious people, vehicles, or activity on campus.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that the sender is identified: it names the "UH Manoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police".

    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: It names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police".
    2. present: It names "The UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police" as authorities.
    3. present: It names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police" as authorities.
    4. present: It names "The UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police" as authorities.
    5. present: It names "The UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police".
    6. present: It names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police."
    7. present: It names "Honolulu Police" and "the UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)".
    8. present: Names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police".
    9. present: It identifies "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police" as authorities.
    10. present: It names "UH ITS", the "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)", and "Honolulu Police", identifying authorities.
    11. present: It names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police" as authorities.
    12. present: It names "UH Manoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police".
    13. present: It names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police", identifying issuing authorities.
    14. present: It names "The UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police", identifying authorities.
    15. present: It names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police" as authorities.
    16. present: It names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police", identifying authorities.
    17. present: It names "The UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police", identifying authorities.
    18. present: It names "The UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police", identifying authorities.
    19. present: It names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police" as authorities.
    20. present: It names the "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police", responding authorities.
    21. present: It names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police".
    22. present: It names "The UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police".
    23. present: It names "UH ITS," "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)," and "Honolulu Police," identifying authorities.
    24. present: It names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police", identifying authorities.
    25. present: It names "UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety (DPS)" and "Honolulu Police."
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that a specific crime is named: a "Burglary at Webster Hall" with damage to fiber optic cables.

    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: It states a "Burglary at Webster Hall", a specific crime.
    2. present: It names "a burglary" with damage to fiber optic cables, a specific threat.
    3. present: It names a "burglary" with damage to cables, a specific threat.
    4. present: It states a "Burglary at Webster Hall", a specific crime.
    5. present: It names "a burglary" with damage to fiber optic cables, a specific crime.
    6. present: It states a "burglary" with damage to fiber optic cables, a specific threat.
    7. present: It names a "Burglary" and damage to fiber optic cables, a specific threat.
    8. present: Names "a burglary" with damage to cables, a specific threat.
    9. present: It names "a burglary" with "significant damage to the fiber optic cables", a specific threat.
    10. present: It states a "burglary" with damage to fiber optic cables, a specific crime threat.
    11. present: It names a "burglary" with damage to fiber optic cables, a specific threat.
    12. present: It names "a burglary" with damage to fiber optic cables, a specific threat.
    13. present: It names a "Burglary" with damage to fiber optic cables, a specific threat.
    14. present: It names a "burglary" with damage to fiber optic cables, a specific threat.
    15. present: It states a "burglary" with damage to fiber optic cables, a specific threat.
    16. present: It states a "Burglary at Webster Hall", a specific crime hazard.
    17. present: It names "a burglary" with damage to fiber optic cables, a specific crime.
    18. present: It names "A burglary" causing damage to fiber optic cables, a specific incident.
    19. present: It states a "burglary" causing damage to fiber optic cables, a specific threat.
    20. present: It names a "burglary" with damage to cables, a specific threat.
    21. present: It names "a burglary" and damage to fiber optic cables, a specific threat.
    22. present: It states the hazard: "a burglary was reported" with damage to fiber optic cables.
    23. present: It names a "burglary" with "significant damage to the fiber optic cables," a specific threat.
    24. present: It states a "burglary" with damage to fiber optic cables, a specific threat.
    25. present: It states a "burglary" with damage to cables, a specific crime.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that the location is specific: "Webster Hall at UH Manoa" plus other named buildings.

    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: It locates it at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa" plus other named buildings.
    2. present: It locates it at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa" and names affected buildings.
    3. present: It locates the event at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa" and other named buildings.
    4. present: It names "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa" and other affected buildings as locations.
    5. present: It cites "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa" and several named buildings.
    6. present: It locates it at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa."
    7. present: It says "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa" and other named buildings.
    8. present: Specifies "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa".
    9. present: It specifies "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa" and other named buildings.
    10. present: It locates it at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa", a specific building.
    11. present: It locates the incident at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa", a specific building.
    12. present: It specifies "Webster Hall at UH Manoa" and other named buildings.
    13. present: It locates it at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa", a specific building.
    14. present: It locates it at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa", a specific building.
    15. present: It locates the crime "at Webster Hall at UH Mānoa."
    16. present: It locates it at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa", a specific building.
    17. present: It locates it "at Webster Hall at UH Mānoa", a named building.
    18. present: It specifies "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa" and other named buildings.
    19. present: It names "Webster Hall", "Gilmore Hall", and other specific buildings.
    20. present: It says "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa" and other named buildings, specific places.
    21. present: It specifies "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa".
    22. present: It locates it at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa".
    23. present: It locates it at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa" and names affected buildings.
    24. present: It locates it at "Webster Hall at UH Mānoa" and other named buildings.
    25. present: It locates it "at Webster Hall at UH Mānoa."
  • Guidancepresent24/25

    Final assessment

    Present by near-unanimous majority: it directs recipients to notify DPS or HPD if they observe suspicious people, vehicles, or activity; one read saw only a tip request.

    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: It requests recipients to notify DPS or HPD if they have information or see suspicious activity.
    2. present: It requests recipients to notify DPS or HPD "if you observe suspicious people, vehicles, or activity".
    3. present: It requests recipients report information or suspicious activity, a directed action.
    4. present: It requests "notification at (808) 956-6911" if you observe suspicious activity, an instruction.
    5. present: It requests recipients to call DPS or HPD if they have information or see suspicious activity.
    6. present: It requests notification at the listed numbers if you have information.
    7. present: It requests recipients report information or observed suspicious activity to DPS or HPD.
    8. present: Requests recipients to notify DPS or HPD "if you have any information" or observe suspicious activity.
    9. present: It requests recipients to notify DPS or HPD if they observe suspicious activity.
    10. present: It requests recipients to report information or suspicious activity to DPS or HPD, an instruction to them.
    11. present: It requests recipients to notify DPS or HPD if they have information or see suspicious activity.
    12. present: It requests recipients notify DPS or HPD if they "observe suspicious people, vehicles, or activity".
    13. present: It requests recipients report suspicious activity by calling DPS or HPD, a protective action.
    14. present: It requests recipients notify DPS or HPD "if you observe suspicious people, vehicles, or activity".
    15. present: It requests recipients to notify DPS at the listed numbers if they have information.
    16. present: It requests recipients notify DPS if they "observe suspicious people, vehicles, or activity", an instruction.
    17. present: It requests recipients "notification at (808) 956-6911" if they have information, a directed action.
    18. present: It requests notification at the listed phone numbers and to report suspicious activity, a directed action.
    19. present: It requests recipients "notification at (808) 956-6911" and to report suspicious activity.
    20. present: It requests recipients "notification" if they see suspicious people or activity, a recipient instruction.
    21. present: It requests recipients notify DPS or HPD if they observe suspicious people or activity.
    22. absent: It asks for notification of information but gives recipients no protective action.
    23. present: It requests recipients to report information or suspicious activity to DPS or HPD, an instruction.
    24. present: It requests recipients "notification" to DPS or HPD if they have information, an instruction.
    25. present: It requests notification "at (808) 956-6911" if you have information.
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Unanimous that timing is present: "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.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: It gives "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m."
    2. present: It gives the date and time, "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.".
    3. present: It states "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a clock time and date.
    4. present: It gives "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a date and clock time.
    5. present: It states "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a clock time and date.
    6. present: It gives "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.," a specific time.
    7. present: It says "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a clock time and date.
    8. present: Gives "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a clock time and date.
    9. present: It gives the date and time, "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.".
    10. present: It gives "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a clock time and date.
    11. present: It states "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a specific time.
    12. present: It states "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a specific time.
    13. present: It gives "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a clock time and date.
    14. present: It states "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a specific time and date.
    15. present: It gives "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.," a clock time and date.
    16. present: It gives a date and time, "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.".
    17. present: It states "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a clock time and date.
    18. present: It states "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a specific date and time.
    19. present: It gives "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a specific time and date.
    20. present: It states "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a clock time and date.
    21. present: It gives "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a specific time.
    22. present: It conveys timing: "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.".
    23. present: It says "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.," a date and clock time.
    24. present: It gives "Yesterday, Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.", a clock and date cue.
    25. present: It gives a date and time, "Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 a.m."
  • Impactpresent22/25

    Final assessment

    Present. With 22 of 25 agreeing, reads find the burglary caused significant damage to fiber optic cables and disrupted services, a stated harm to property; three noted no harm to people.

    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: Reports a burglary causing significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting services, a stated harm to property.
    2. present: Describes a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting services, a stated harm to property.
    3. absent: Describes a burglary causing damage to cables and service disruption with no stated harm to people.
    4. present: It reports a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables and disrupted services, a stated harm to property.
    5. present: States the burglar caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting phone and internet, conveying actual harm to property.
    6. present: Describes a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting services, a stated harm to property and services.
    7. present: It reports a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables and disrupted services, a stated harm to property.
    8. present: It reports a burglary causing significant damage to fiber optic cables, a stated harm to property.
    9. present: States significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting phone and internet services, a stated harm to property and services.
    10. present: States the burglary caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting services, a stated harm to property.
    11. present: It reports a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting services, a stated harm to property.
    12. absent: It reports a burglary that caused damage to cables disrupting services, a property harm but not a stated danger to people.
    13. present: It reports a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting phone and internet services, a stated harm to property and services.
    14. present: It reports a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting services, a stated harm to property and operations.
    15. absent: Describes a burglary causing damage to fiber optic cables and service disruption but no harm to people.
    16. present: Describes significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting services, a stated harm to property and operations.
    17. present: It reports a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables and disrupted services, a stated property harm.
    18. present: It describes a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting services, a stated harm to property.
    19. present: It states the burglar caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting phone and internet services, a stated harm to property and services.
    20. present: Describes significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting phone and internet services, a stated harm to property and services.
    21. present: It reports a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting phone and internet services, a stated harm to property and services.
    22. present: It states the burglary caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting phone and internet services, a stated harm to property and services.
    23. present: Describes a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting services, an explicit harm to property.
    24. present: It reports a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting services, a stated harm to property.
    25. present: It reports a burglary that caused significant damage to fiber optic cables disrupting phone and internet services, a clearly stated harm to property and services.

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

About this analysis
Context

Background

UH Mānoa is the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiʻi System, an R1 public research university with about 17,500 students located in the Mānoa Valley above Honolulu. Webster Hall houses physiology and physical science programs in central campus, and its electrical room serves as a fiber-optic distribution hub for adjacent academic buildings. On the morning of Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 11:30 AM HST, an unknown individual entered the locked electrical room and caused significant damage to fiber-optic cabling, severing phone and internet to Gilmore Hall, Spalding Hall, Hamilton Library, and the Agricultural Engineering Institute. Local reporting indicated eleven campus buildings ultimately lost power, including the Campus Center and Athletics Department, with restoration taking days. UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety issued a Clery timely warning the next day, and Honolulu Police continued to seek a suspect through at least February 11. The case is unusual in two respects: it is an example of infrastructure-targeting campus crime (rare compared to theft, assault, or burglary of personal property), and the alert is purely informational rather than directive, recruiting the community to share crime tips rather than to take protective action. It illustrates how UH Mānoa's DPS uses its public-safety bulletin platform for both classical 'continuing threat' Clery warnings and for crime-investigation tips that fall outside the immediate-danger framework.
Analysis

Key Findings

The burglary targeted critical campus infrastructure (a fiber-optic distribution electrical room) rather than valuables or persons, an unusual incident category in the campus-alert archive
Four named academic buildings lost phone and internet services from a single electrical-room intrusion; local reporting expanded the power-outage footprint to eleven buildings including the Campus Center and Athletics Department
The DPS timely warning was posted Sunday February 9 (one day after the Saturday February 8 burglary) illustrating the Clery 'continuing threat' delay window for after-the-fact intrusions
The alert is informational and tip-seeking rather than directive: no 'avoid', 'shelter', or 'evacuate' language, because the threat had ceased before discovery
Outcome
No injuries. Significant damage to fiber-optic cables in Webster Hall's electrical room. Phone and internet services disrupted across four academic buildings, and power outages affecting eleven buildings including the Campus Center and Athletics Department. UH ITS worked to restore services. Honolulu Police investigated; the suspect was reportedly being sought as of February 11. The incident was unusual in that it targeted infrastructure rather than valuables or persons.
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
    Burglary at Webster Hall (UH Mānoa Department of Public Safety, official)
    manoa.hawaii.edu
    archived copy
  2. Social
    UH Manoa Safety Facebook post on February 9, 2025 (official)
    facebook.com
    archived copy
  3. News
    Power restored at UH Manoa after outage caused by burglary (KITV)
    kitv.com
    archived copy
  4. News
    Suspect wanted for UH Manoa burglary (Hawaii News Now)
    hawaiinewsnow.com
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa: Electrical-room burglary severed fiber lines, cutting service to nearby campus buildings." Incident of February 8, 2025. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/uh-manoa-webster-hall-burglary-power-outage-2025-02-08/

Download case JSON

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

Tags
burglaryinfrastructure-failurepower-outagefiber-optichawaiipublic-universitytimely-warningtip-seeking-alertinformational-only
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion