{
  "id": "2025-08-31-columbia-university-broadway-headphone-thefts",
  "slug": "columbia-university-broadway-headphone-thefts-2025-08-31",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Columbia University",
    "shortName": "Columbia",
    "state": "NY",
    "type": "private-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "Columbia Public Safety Clery Alert",
    "enrollment": 33000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-08-31",
    "type": "theft",
    "cleryCategory": "timely-warning",
    "resolution": "under-investigation",
    "headline": "Pattern of headphone thefts along Broadway",
    "headlinePublic": "Pattern of headphone thefts along Broadway",
    "summary": "Columbia Public Safety [issued Clery Crime Alert 2025-W19](https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/sites/publicsafety.columbia.edu/files/content/W19_Clery_Thefts_Bway-Between118and119ST__2025-08-31&2025-09-01.pdf).",
    "outcome": "Public Safety seeking tips at 212-854-2797."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Crime Alert\nHeadphone Thefts\nColumbia University Public Safety has been notified by the NYPD of a series of headphone thefts that occurred near the Morningside and\nManhattanville campuses over the weekend. The incidents involved a group of male-presenting teenagers riding CitiBikes and wearing masks. One\nindividual was often seen sitting on the front basket of a bike. The suspects reportedly approached pedestrians from behind—either on the street or\nsidewalk—and removed headphones from their heads. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.\nTwo incidents were reported directly to Public Safety. One occured on Sunday, August 31 at approximately 7:00 p.m. on Broadway between West 118th\nand West 119th Streets.. The second incident occurred on Monday, September 1 at approximately 7:21 p.m. on Broadway at West 131st Street.\nWe strongly encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses a crime to report it to both Columbia University Public Safety (Morningside (212-854-2797\n/ Manhattanville (212-853-3301) / Medical Center (212-305-8100) and the NYPD. Timely and accurate reporting helps enhance awareness of incidents\noccurring in and around our campuses, enabling more effective resource allocation and communication with the community.\nSafety Tips\nStay aware of your surroundings and minimize distractions. Devices like cell phones, earbuds, and other electronics can reduce your ability to hear\nand observe what’s happening around you, increasing vulnerability. Headphones worn on the head are particularly easy to grab and have been\nfrequent targets in recent incidents.\nBe cautious of scooters, bicycles, or other vehicles that pass unusually close to the sidewalk. This behavior may indicate an attempt to approach\npedestrians quickly and unexpectedly.\n\nDISCLAIMER: Clery Crime Alerts (Timely Warning Notifications) are distributed pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act. Columbia University is required to\nalert the campus community when certain crimes occur in our Clery Act defined campuses that represent a serious or continuous threat to the community.\nTo see this and other Clery Crime Alerts please visit our Public Safety website. For more information about Columbia University’s Clery Act compliance efforts, please\ncontact the Department’s Clery Act Compliance Director, Roberto A. Pineda Sanchez at ps-compliance@columbia.edu.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "confidence": "high",
      "sourceUrl": "https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/sites/publicsafety.columbia.edu/files/content/W19_Clery_Thefts_Bway-Between118and119ST__2025-08-31&2025-09-01.pdf",
      "sourceDescription": "Columbia Public Safety Clery Crime Alert PDF (2025-W19)",
      "annotations": [
        "PDF text layer ligatures normalized to ASCII, matching W06 capture practice. sha256 8a73ce2f64fa42336aa904c7ccf83d542c85f1cd23b2086f0fb5448f0db42b76. Dual-fetch PDF bytes as packaged.",
        "Columbia Clery 2025-W19 flyer W19_Clery_Thefts_Bway-Between118and119ST__2025-08-31&2025-09-01.pdf."
      ],
      "characterCount": 2359
    }
  ],
  "context": "Columbia Public Safety posts Clery Crime Alerts as PDFs. Official product: the [2025-W19 warning](https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/sites/publicsafety.columbia.edu/files/content/W19_Clery_Thefts_Bway-Between118and119ST__2025-08-31&2025-09-01.pdf).",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Official Clery Crime Alert PDF recovered from the Public Safety files host."
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Columbia Public Safety Clery Crime Alert PDF (2025-W19)",
      "url": "https://publicsafety.columbia.edu/sites/publicsafety.columbia.edu/files/content/W19_Clery_Thefts_Bway-Between118and119ST__2025-08-31&2025-09-01.pdf",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "accessDate": "2026-09-21",
      "archiveUrl": null,
      "archiveNotes": "SPN not attempted after 500 flap at 07:36Z"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "private-r1",
    "new-york",
    "columbia",
    "ivy",
    "clery",
    "theft"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-09-21",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-21",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}