{
  "id": "2024-03-17-boston-university-burglary",
  "slug": "boston-university-burglary-2024-03-17",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Boston University",
    "shortName": "BU",
    "state": "MA",
    "type": "private-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "BUPD Crime Alert",
    "enrollment": 37000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-03-17",
    "type": "burglary",
    "cleryCategory": "timely-warning",
    "headline": "Intruder enters a student residence through the front door overnight; nothing taken",
    "headlinePublic": "Intruder enters a student residence through the front door overnight; nothing taken",
    "summary": "The [Boston University Police Department](https://www.bu.edu/police/) issued a [crime alert for a residential burglary](https://www.bu.edu/police/2024/03/17/boston-university-police-crime-alert-burglary-2/) at 10 Buick Street at 3:30 a.m. EDT on March 17, 2024, when an unknown person entered a student's residence through the front door. The resident was not harmed and no property was taken.",
    "outcome": "BUPD investigation opened. No suspect identified. No property taken and no injuries reported.",
    "resolution": "under-investigation"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Issued March 17, 2024 by Boston University Police Department",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "BOSTON UNIVERSITY POLICE\nCRIME ALERT: BURGLARY\n\nDate/Time: 03/17/2024, 03:30 AM\nLocation: 10 Buick Street\n\nThe Boston University Police Department is releasing the following detailed information regarding a recent burglary that occurred on campus that may affect members of the BU community.\n\nAn unknown person entered the residence through the front door. The resident was not harmed. No property was taken.\n\nThe Boston University Police Department would like to remind community members of the following safety tips:\n- Always lock your doors, even when you are home\n- Do not prop open exterior doors\n- Report suspicious persons or activity immediately\n- Be aware of who is entering your building behind you\n- Program the BUPD number into your phone: (617) 353-2121\n\nAnyone with information is asked to contact the Boston University Police Department at (617) 353-2121.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.bu.edu/police/2024/03/17/boston-university-police-crime-alert-burglary-2/",
      "sourceDescription": "BUPD Crime Alert page on bu.edu/police; BUPD-template structure (CRIME ALERT header, Date/Time, Location, incident summary, safety tips, contact line) and the core factual sentence ('An unknown person entered the residence through the front door. The resident was not harmed. No property was taken.') are confirmed verbatim from BUPD's published alert",
      "annotations": [
        "The alert does not state how entry was gained beyond 'through the front door'; the safety tips that follow focus on door locking and tailgating awareness",
        "Despite no property being taken and no harm to the resident, the incident still triggered a timely warning because unauthorized entry into an occupied residence constitutes a Clery-reportable burglary",
        "The incident occurred at 3:30 a.m. EDT, an overnight hour when residents are typically asleep",
        "10 Buick Street is in the South Campus residential area near Boston University's student apartments, a densely populated student neighborhood"
      ],
      "characterCount": 870
    }
  ],
  "context": "This burglary at [10 Buick Street](https://www.bu.edu/police/2024/03/17/boston-university-police-crime-alert-burglary-2/) illustrates a category of timely warning that is common but underappreciated: the residential break-in where nothing is taken and no one is hurt, but the intrusion itself constitutes a Clery-reportable burglary. Boston University's [South Campus area](https://www.bu.edu/police/) along Buick Street and the adjacent blocks is a dense corridor of student apartments where door security is a persistent challenge. The incident occurred during a period when BUPD was tracking multiple property crime trends, including [bicycle and scooter thefts](https://www.bu.edu/articles/2025/security-report-annual/) that would spike later in the fall semester. BU's 2024 Annual Security Report documented a rise in aggravated assaults on both the Charles River and Medical campuses, with [23 aggravated assaults on the Medical Campus alone](https://www.bu.edu/articles/2025/security-report-annual/), though burglary patterns remained relatively stable year-over-year.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "BUPD Crime Alert: Burglary at 10 Buick Street",
      "url": "https://www.bu.edu/police/2024/03/17/boston-university-police-crime-alert-burglary-2/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "BU Today - Annual Security Report Reflects Changing Patterns",
      "url": "https://www.bu.edu/articles/2025/security-report-annual/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "timely-warning",
    "burglary",
    "residential",
    "massachusetts",
    "private-university",
    "student-housing"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}