Police are investigating a third case of an intruder entering a Yale student’s bedroom at a residence in New Haven over the past few months.
Just before 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 23, a Yale student woke to find a male intruder in the bedroom and the intruder fled after an altercation with the student, according to Yale police.
They said the intruder did not take anything from the residence and the victim was not injured.
It happened on Edgewood Avenue, between Park Street and Lynwood Place and New Haven police are investigating, Yale police said.
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One student who is familiar with the incident says it was more alarming than a burglary, saying the victim was a female and the suspect left without taking anything, including a laptop that was nearby.
“So, I think that calling it a burglary is a little bit questionable,” said Yale student Judah Millen.
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The man who entered the home didn’t appear to have any weapons and the student was not hurt, Yale police said.
In May, a Yale graduate student woke up to a man pointing a gun at them and was sexually assaulted in an off-campus residence, according to university police. The incident happened in an apartment on the 300 block of Elm Street around 2 a.m.
Millen says he’s concerned that the incident is similar to the incident involving the female Yale grad student who was sexually assaulted at gunpoint in her bedroom a block away on Elm Street.
“I think that there’s definitely some fear that this might be the same individual that might be doing this a number of times,” Millen said.
Millen says he’s nervous they might be connected and feels like police should describe the incidents in the community messages with stronger wording than “burglary.”
“I think that if there is someone kind of going around looking for opportunities, people should make sure to lock their windows and just be extra vigilant, and I’m not sure the information - the way that it was communicated - necessarily made people feel like they should do that,” Millen said.
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Yale police urge students to lock their doors and windows, keep hedges near doors and windows trimmed and make sure their entrance is well-lit.
They also advise using a locking device that allows the window to open a few inches for ventilation and secure window air conditioners where possible.
NBC Connecticut has reached out to both Yale police and New Haven police for an update on the three incidents, each one happening in consecutive months since May, to see if there are any connections or leads in the cases.
Anyone with information is asked to call the New Haven Police at (203) 946-6316 or Yale Police at (203) 432-4400.
