{
  "id": "2024-11-24-columbia-university-attempted-robbery",
  "slug": "columbia-university-attempted-robbery-2024-11-24",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Columbia University",
    "shortName": "Columbia",
    "state": "NY",
    "type": "private-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "Columbia Emergency Notification System",
    "enrollment": 36649
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-11-24",
    "type": "robbery",
    "cleryCategory": "timely-warning",
    "resolution": "under-investigation",
    "headline": "Person followed into a vestibule in an attempted robbery; crime alert issued",
    "headlinePublic": "Person followed into a vestibule in an attempted robbery; crime alert issued",
    "summary": "On November 24, 2024, at approximately 5:02 PM EST, an [attempted robbery occurred in the vestibule of 189 Claremont Avenue](https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/content/clery-crime-alerts) on Columbia University's Morningside Campus. A non-affiliate was followed into the building by a suspect who attempted to take their property. Columbia Public Safety issued a Clery Crime Alert. The same suspect committed [similar crimes at nearby addresses in December 2024](https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/content/clery-crime-alerts).",
    "outcome": "The suspect was described as male, medium complexion, medium build, with a beard and mustache. The same individual was connected to subsequent robberies at 195 Claremont Avenue and 549 Riverside Drive in December 2024.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Shortly after 5:02 PM EST on November 24, 2024",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "On Sunday, November 24, 2024, at around 5:02 p.m. an Attempted Robbery occurred in the vestibule of 189 Claremont Avenue at the Morningside Campus. The NYPD reported that a non-affiliate was followed into the vestibule of 189 Claremont Avenue by an individual. The suspect is described as male presenting, with a medium complexion, medium build, with a beard and mustache, and wearing a blue and grey knitted hat, blue winter coat, blue jeans, red, black, and white sneakers, and carrying a red and black backpack.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/content/clery-crime-alerts",
      "sourceDescription": "Columbia Public Safety Clery Crime Alerts page",
      "annotations": [
        "Excerpted verbatim from the Columbia Public Safety Clery Crime Alerts page entry for the November 24, 2024 attempted robbery",
        "Uses Columbia's standard 'male presenting' phrasing for suspect descriptions, distinct from the more common 'male' used by NYPD bulletins",
        "189 Claremont Avenue is graduate student housing immediately adjacent to the Morningside Campus",
        "The same suspect description was later linked to similar vestibule incidents at 195 Claremont Avenue (Dec 18, 2024) and 549 Riverside Drive"
      ],
      "characterCount": 514
    }
  ],
  "context": "On November 24, 2024, at approximately 5:02 PM EST, a non-affiliate entering [189 Claremont Avenue on Columbia's Morningside Campus](https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/content/clery-crime-alerts) was followed into the vestibule by a suspect who attempted to take their property. Columbia University Public Safety issued a Clery Crime Alert with a detailed suspect description: male, medium complexion, medium build, wearing a blue and grey knitted hat, blue winter coat, blue jeans, and carrying a red and black backpack. The same individual committed [similar crimes at 195 Claremont Avenue on December 18, 2024, and at 549 Riverside Drive](https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/content/clery-crime-alerts), indicating a serial pattern targeting building vestibules in the area. Columbia's [crime informationals page](https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/content/crime-informationals) documented additional incidents throughout the fall semester, as the area around Morningside Heights has historically faced safety challenges.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The suspect followed the victim into a building vestibule, a tactic that exploits the moment when residents unlock building doors",
    "The same individual was connected to at least two additional robberies in the area in December 2024, indicating a serial offender",
    "The detailed suspect description in the Clery alert was unusually specific, aiding community awareness"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Clery Crime Alerts (Columbia University Public Safety)",
      "url": "https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/content/clery-crime-alerts",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Crime Informationals (Columbia University Public Safety)",
      "url": "https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/content/crime-informationals",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "robbery",
    "attempted-robbery",
    "vestibule",
    "serial-offender",
    "morningside-heights",
    "new-york",
    "ivy-league",
    "private-university"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}